What Would Happen If
by Rainbow-Winged Phoenix
Summary: Somebody leaves a basket on the Blitzkrieg Boys' doorstep and Spencer is shocked by what he finds inside. What will the arrival of two little girls do to the socially awkward Russians? Where did they come from and where is their mother?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! Me again with yet another new fic for you guys. This is sort of a spiritual successor to Opposites Attract without the main pairing.

I've seen this done to the BladeBreakers plenty of times and feel it's time for our favourite anti social Russian team to suffer the same fate.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade or any associated characters. At least one from the recent manga has made it in due to their relation to a certain blonde.

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One

Spencer strolled down the streets of Moscow weighed down by bags. After BEGA went down, he and the other Blitzkrieg Boys moved into a house together, including Kai who lived with them just to annoy his grandfather. Four glorious years had passed since that fateful day when Tyson defeated Brooklyn and Boris was sentenced to life imprisonment. Looking at his watch, Spencer saw it was about time to head home, fumbling around in a deep pocket for a set of elusive car keys. Putting the bags into the boot, Spencer hauled himself into the driver's seat and closed the door just as snow began to fall. It didn't take him long to reach the six bedroom house that was his home. One that he shared with four nut jobs…err teammates.

Ian had reached out to the boys after the BEGA fiasco apologising for not being there when they needed him and Tala had allowed him back onto the team…after much ass-kissing on Ian's part. Turning the engine off, Spencer heaved a sigh. It was too quiet for his liking. Grabbing what appeared to be eight bags of food shopping, Spencer went into the house expecting to see carnage, finding it in one piece just like he'd left it. His teammates could be a real handful sometimes. Spencer was the only one who could cook but Tala was learning from him…when Ian wasn't being an absolute pest or Bryan going on a killing spree until he was given coffee. Kai was generally easy to live with unless you woke him up for no reason. He spent a lot of time at college, only seen in the house at morning and night outside of weekends.

All in all, there was never a dull moment in the Blitzkrieg Boys' house. Spencer finished putting everything away in time to hear the front door open and close so he put the kettle on and found something to cook for supper. His back was turned when a taller, more dashing Bryan came striding into the room. He was training as a self defence coach and if all went well Bryan would find employment at either a school or college. Maybe even the army. The latter was a last resort. None of the boys wanted to be thrown into that kind of environment again.

Neither Bryan nor Spencer seemed willing to say anything so they sat in companionable silence for what seemed like hours before Kai returned looking incredibly bored. Without a word of complaint Spencer made the second youngest Blitzkrieg Boy a hot drink. Kai mumbled a quiet thank you as a steaming mug of coffee was set in front of him. He was actually very polite behind closed doors unless you rubbed him the wrong way. And Ian made a habit of doing just that whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Spencer knew better than to ask Kai how his day had been, knowing full well a tirade of cursing would follow. Instead he occupied himself by preparing a large leg of lamb for cooking. Being Friday it was lamb night.

"Hey Spence, you need a hand?"

Questioned giant looked over his shoulder at Bryan, wondering what had compelled him to ask.

"No thanks Bry, I'm good. Any idea where Fang and Slither have buggered off to? I thought they had today off?"

Fang and Slither were the nicknames given to Tala and Ian about two years ago but only Spencer used them. Because anybody else who dared to utter them would end up dead or severely beaten. Bryan shrugged his shoulders and Kai merely grumbled into his cup about going to get a nap. Not long after Kai vanished upstairs, the missing duo returned. Both of them had gotten taller and beefier over the years but Ian's nose refused to shrink down in size. Tala on the other hand looked more mature, his eyes deep pits of lavender. Since Spencer was busy sorting their supper, Bryan took it upon himself to make his "brothers" a warm drink.

"So where'd you guys run off to this time?"

Ian flinched but Tala simply stared at Spencer's back, watching bulging muscles ripple under a tight dark green shirt.

"I got called into work suddenly and I don't know where Ian went. We bumped into each other and walked back together."

Satisfied with Tala's response, Spencer didn't ask any further questions. Heat wafted out of the opened oven, waiting for the lamb laden tray to be placed on the shelf inside. Setting the timer, Spencer moved on to prepare something else.

Later that evening Spencer was just sitting in bed reading a book to wind down. Supper had gone down well and it pleased Spencer to hear it was the best roast lamb yet. Beside him something moved. Tilting his head down to look over ovular glasses Spencer saw a mess of scarlet red hair on the pillows, smiling quietly to himself. He'd been dating Tala for just over two years and couldn't be happier. Out of the others in the house, only Ian was oblivious to the relationship between the pair. Kai had simply put two and two together as Spencer spent a lot of time with Tala and Bryan…well Bryan caught them in bed most unfortunately. Even after two years Spencer and Tala were still unsure which of them would be the dominant male in bed. Spencer had size to his advantage but Tala had finesse and could hold his own in a play fight. For now they were content to take it in turns where the bedroom department was concerned.

Spencer didn't realize he'd been staring at Tala for over ten minutes just watching him sleep until there was a knock at the door. 'Who the devil could that be at this time of night?' Pulling on a pair of trousers and a jumper, Spencer ventured down to the door with a loud yawn. Whoever had knocked was very patient. Plucking a pistol off the wall just in case, Spencer peered outside only to find nothing. Just to be sure he unlocked the door and opened it fully. Moving to stand directly in the doorway, his toes brushed what felt like a wicker basket. Looking down Spencer was horrified by what he saw.

Without thinking he grabbed the basket and hurried to the kitchen, trying not to make a lot of noise. Setting the basket down he paced agitatedly. None of Spencer's training had prepared him to deal with the basket's contents.

'Ok Spencer calm down. You can do this. Those things in the basket won't hurt you. Now grow a pair and deal with them.'

Despite his newfound courage, Spencer cautiously inched towards the basket and peered inside. Nestled inside were two babies! Judging by the colour of their rompers both infants were female. Baby boys would've been no problem as Spencer had grown up among dozens of boys but girls were alien to him. A house full of men and two baby girls had just been ditched on its doorstep. One of the girls shuffled and Spencer tensed. Swallowing hard, he lifted the infant hoping he wasn't being too rough with her.

All was quiet the following morning. Spencer woke with a stretch, blind to the feel of a sofa under him. Last night was just a bad dream, he was sure of it. Yes that must be it. Nobody in their right mind would ditch two babies with five of the most socially awkward men on the planet. That nightmare turned slowly into a reality as Spencer felt something clutching his fingers. Only now did he notice he was in the living room lying on one of the sofas, his shirt gone.

Looking down to the left Spencer blinked, trying to be rid of the confusion surfacing. There on the floor were the babies still in their basket, Spencer's jumper protecting them from the cold and each latched on to one of his fingers. 'So it wasn't a dream.' He groaned trying to gently free his fingers. Neither baby stirred for a minute or so but soon they realised the fingers they'd held were gone. Identifying the infants might be about to cry, Spencer lifted them from the basket and settled both little girls on his legs, an arm supporting their backs. To make matters worse, somebody appeared behind him.

"Spence? What are you doing up so early?"

Turning with painful slowness, Spencer's green eyes clashed with tired lavender.

"Tal? You should be in bed."

"So should you. How long have you been down here?"

"All night apparently."

"But why? Have I done something to upset you?"

Before Spencer could reassure his red headed lover one of the girls decided now would be a fine time to wake up, big gold eyes staring up at him. Tala didn't like Spencer's sudden silence, moving to stand in front of him. Glistening pits of gold gazed at Tala as their owner threatened to cry.

"Tala, look in the basket and see if you can find anything that might stop her from crying."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the only other person in here and I have my hands full with two little people!"

Tala had only noticed the gold eyed infant before, now aware of the peachy haired bundle nestled in Spencer's other arm. Shifting the sheets in the basket, Tala found bottles filled with a white substance. It looked like milk. Looking at the babies he put two and two together, taking two of the bottles into the kitchen.

For hours on end Tala and Spencer sat with the babies, wondering what they were to do with them. Should they wait and see if the mother would come back for them? Or take the little girls to child services? Thinking of the latter always made Spencer feel bitter. Child services hadn't been there when he needed them, or for the other victims of Balkov Abbey. No doubt Tala and the other three felt similarly.

"We can't keep them Spencer."

Tala's voice was hushed so not to disturb the slumbering tots or the three teammates still in bed. He understood Spencer's unease concerning the authorities, felt the same anger even. But they had no idea how to care for one baby let alone two. Tala gave Spencer's spare hand a comforting squeeze, his eyes soft.

"We'll check around and see if anyone has lost a baby. If not we'll have no choice but to take them to an orphanage. There they can be taken home by someone who knows how to care for them, who can give these innocent beings the best start that they deserve. We're not cut out for this, Spence."

"What about that discussion we had last week? Have you suddenly changed your mind then?"

Tala thought back to said talk. Spencer had cornered him about having children but as men neither of them could conceive and they didn't know any girls who would willingly be a surrogate for them. So they had only one option; adoption. And Tala did still want to adopt a child. But it was too soon, too much of a coincidence that somebody had ditched two babies on their doorstep a week after deciding they would go ahead with adoption in a few years. Hell he and Spencer weren't even engaged yet. But Tala couldn't deny that these two innocent things had stirred something in him, urges he never knew existed in his mind. It was best they try and find the parents quickly before Spencer got attached to the girls.

"Spencer, honey. I haven't changed my mind in the slightest. But its too soon. We're not even married for crying out loud. Besides, having parents like us might mess them up. We don't know anything about the opposite sex."

"We can learn, Tala. I just…I don't want what happened to us to happen to them. It wouldn't be fair."

Tala could tell his blonde lover was already getting attached to the pinkette baby in his arms, allowing her to suck on his fingertip.

"The poor bastards are too young to understand what's happened to them Tala. What if their parents are dangerous?"

Tala couldn't deny the possibility but he tried not to think about such a negative theory. The little girl on his lap opened her eyes for the first time, large orbs of copper brown staring up at him. He and Spencer were so preoccupied with their thoughts that Ian managed to creep up behind the sofa ready to unleash hell. By the time Spencer caught on that somebody else was awake it was too late. Ian had blown up a balloon before hand, bursting it with a sharp pin.

The almighty popping sound made Tala flinch and the babies scream. Ian covered his ears, fearing his eardrums were about to burst as he moved around to the front of the sofa. He only caught a glimpse of the wailing tots before a fist came down hard on his head, knocking him out. Kai and Bryan were drawn out of their rooms by the noise, finding Ian on the floor out cold. Slowly the noise died down as Spencer and Tala rocked the screaming bundles with care not to hurt them.

Kai didn't need to ask what all the racket was, remembering the first time he'd met Max's baby sister Charlotte. However he was confused as to why two babies were in the house, his tired crimson eyes demanding answers. With Tala still trying to calm the copper eyed tot it fell on Spencer's shoulders to explain.

"They were ditched on our doorstep last night."

"Was there a note with them?"

Spencer shook his head. "No. Only a few bottles of what seems to be milk."

"Spencer, don't get attached. They can't stay here you know that. None of us know the first thing about baby care."

"Didn't Max have a baby sister?"

"Yes but I avoided her at every opportunity. If there's no sign of the parents in two days we're taking them to the nearest orphanage. No objections."

With that Kai stalked off back to bed hoping he could get a few more hours of sleep. Bryan dragged Ian back to his room muttering something about the bluenette being an idiot and people needed to sleep. He came back half dressed and made a beeline for the kettle. No doubt Spencer hadn't had anything to drink yet. While Bryan was making drinks for him and his brothers, it occurred to him that they'd need stuff for the babies during their short stay.

At a more sane hour Spencer took the risk of leaving the baby girls with Bryan and Tala to get some stuff from the shops. He'd looked up what they needed online and wrote it down. Knowing all hell would break loose if the media saw him buying baby stuff, Spencer donned a disguise while out. He returned to find Bryan on the floor with both tots with no sign of Kai or Tala.

"Bryan…why are you on the floor with them?"

Questioned teammate looked up in shock, calming to the sight of Spencer looming in the doorway.

"Tala went to go get a shower and I wasn't comfortable holding them so we put an old quilt down for them to lie on. Did you get everything?"

"Down to the last teething ring since we don't know how old the girls are. Do me a favour and take the clothes and diapers up to my room. Smells like they need changing."

Bryan's face paled but he did as asked while Spencer took his coat and hat off. Rather than try to pick the infants up individually, Spencer manoeuvred them into such a position he could use the quilt as a sling. Thinking about it now, the tots could probably do with a bath but he hadn't bought one for babies. Shrugging he carried the sleeping infants upstairs with care not to wake them. By the time Spencer got to his bedroom Tala was there in nothing but a towel, hair dripping wet. Tala's cheeks went red at being caught practically naked and Spencer gave him a firm spank after putting the girls on the bed.

"Well hello handsome."

"Hello yourself. What are they doing in here?"

"Don't get pissy Tala. The girls could do with a bath and their clothes cleaning. I'm going to need a hand."

"Fine." Tala huffed, knowing he wasn't going to get out of baby duty. "Just let me get some trousers on."

"Tala, they're babies. Seeing you in your birthday suit isn't going to scar them for life."

Said redhead grumbled and moved over to the wardrobe, watching as Spencer peeked over the quilt. Obviously he was trying not to wake the sleeping humans. Tala rolled his eyes, pulling a pair of icy blue sweatpants from the wardrobe, moving to stand on his side of the bed. Spencer's eyes danced at the sight of Tala's bare backside but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand…dirty diapers. Bryan had apparently heard Spencer talking to Tala as he walked in with two fresh towels. Luckily Tala was half dressed by then.

Bath time went well. Both girls were squeaky clean in ten minutes. Checking the tag on the rompers the tots had come in revealed they were between 5-7 months olds. Spencer had bought two of every size under a year old just in case. Tala and Bryan watched over the babies while Spencer did a little research on how to better care for them, ignoring Kai's warning that doing so would just make him grow attached to the kids. Ian wisely behaved after his stunt that morning.

He stupidly tickled the pinkette with his long nose and she promptly grabbed it and pulled. While the sight was hilarious Spencer removed the tiny chubby hands from Ian's nose so she didn't scream. Watching his giant of a lover being so gentle was a strange experience for Tala. Sure Spencer had handled him softly but this was different. He treated the girls like fragile pottery, as if they would break at the slightest hint of pressure. Tala knew babies were delicate things but surely Spencer was just being too cautious.

Come bed time the girls were tucked safely back in their basket beside Spencer's bed. Tala slept quietly as if nothing had happened. Spencer however couldn't take his eyes off the sleeping tots. Over the hours he'd noticed they had the same nose and similarly shaped eyes, thinking they were sisters, possibly unidentical twins. Spencer wondered long into the night where their mother could possibly be. What of the father? Had the sisters been orphaned and some kind soul did what they thought was best for them? No, if it had been a random stranger they would've taken the children to an orphanage right away.

So that left Spencer with only two theories. One, the girls had been abandoned by parents who couldn't afford them. Two, they'd been kidnapped and ditched far away from home. Spencer prayed to whatever God was out there that it wasn't the latter. The last thing they needed was the attention of the corrupt Russian police force. Try as he might, Spencer just couldn't sleep so he lifted the little girls from their basket and sat with them on his lap in such a position that he'd be able to sleep comfortably if he did doze off.

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And there it is. I feel like the boys handled the arrival of two baby girls a bit too well so as recompense for that I will be making them suffer. Hoping to have chapter two done soon.


	2. Chapter 2

First thing's first I should probably throw in a key (Need to stop forgetting to do that.)

"…" normal talk, '…' thoughts, _"…" notes and texts, ("…") phone calls,_ _ **("…") television speech**_

Some revelations and a plot twist occur in this chapter with mild torment.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade. I do however own the plot (obviously) and the babies (to be named later).

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Two

Sunday started like any other day. Spencer was the first to get up as usual. He tended to the babies then carried them downstairs to start making breakfast. The smell of fried bacon drew Tala out of hiding first. Bryan followed when he caught wind of perfectly fried eggs. Kai and Ian were the last to arrive, disturbed more by the noise than the smell of food. Plates laden with a full English breakfast were passed around and steaming mugs of coffee set before each member of the team. Once he'd woken up properly, Kai informed Spencer he would be expecting company later on. This made the quiet giant pale. Nobody could find out about the girls.

Some time after midday all was quiet in the house. So quiet you'd never believe two babies were temporarily staying there. Spencer kept said infants in his room to hopefully keep them quiet. Bryan and Tala were the only ones in the sitting room when Kai strode into the house, a girl trailing behind him. It wasn't just any girl. With Kai was Mariam of the Saint Shields. And it looked like she wasn't just here at random judging by how close Kai kept to her.

"Well now there's rude of you not to tell your brothers, Kai." Bryan sneered, taking in Mariam's figure with his sharp eyes. "Such a pretty little thing deserves better than a punk like you."

"Shut your mouth Bryan." Kai's tone was no louder than a low growl, his fingers locked with Mariam's. "My private life has nothing to do with you. Besides if the media catches wind of this I'll never hear the end of it from the old bastard."

Tala understood why Kai kept quiet about having a more intimate relationship with someone, shooting Bryan a warning glare as he stood up.

"You'll have to excuse our brother, ma'am. He's not the most tactful when faced with surprises. I trust Kai has treated you with the utmost respect?"

Mariam turned to said blader finding he'd gone beet red and was glaring at Tala. She'd been told to expect hostility and dark sarcasm. Tala was showing anything but.

"Well…umm. This is a bit awkward."

"Awkward how exactly?"

"I was told to expect the total opposite of what I'm seeing."

"Oh really?"

Tala's eyes developed a deadly allure that made Kai squirm. Now Mariam could see what he meant but before she could say anything, Ian came down the stairs. He was of course shocked to see a woman in the house, quickly catching on that Kai was dating said female.

"Oh my god. Kai actually has a girlfriend?!"

"Ian shut your mouth before I shut it for you!"

Ian paid no attention to Kai's threat as was expected…until a large cold shadow fell over him and he looked up cowering in fear. Mariam cringed when Spencer slammed Ian into the ground and dragged the bluenette off somewhere. Kai had clearly hoped the meeting would go better judging by how he sighed.

"And that concludes the family."

"What about your grandfather?"

"I'd rather not introduce you to him. It wouldn't end well for either of us. Come on, before these idiots rub off on you."

Kai tugged Mariam towards the stairs without caring to introduce her properly leaving Bryan to feel very offended. Tala simply shrugged and followed after his "brother" silently. Knowing he'd been pursued, Kai shut Mariam in his room to face Tala.

"Calm down small fry. I was only going to ask if you or your mistress wanted a drink. She's a pretty girl. Be sure you take good care of her Kai."

Said young man surprisingly softened, wrapping his arms around Tala's waist. This side to Kai was a very rare sight and only ever revealed to the people he trusted the most.

"I'm sorry Tal. I should've told you all sooner."

"It's fine little brother." Tala soothed, his thick fingers slicing through Kai's hair. "You had your reasons to keep us in the dark. Have you been together long?"

Kai nodded sheepishly, giving Tala a hard squeeze. "Three years this November. I don't want THEM to find out Tala. If they do I'm scared that Mariam will be stolen from me just like my parents were. I can't lose her Tala."

"I can understand that. Every now and then I fret about losing Spencer. Losing him would destroy me. How long will Mariam be staying?"

"I don't know. There's some turbulence with her family at the moment. They want Mariam to leave me and marry a man she doesn't love that way."

Mariam was kept out of sight until supper time. Spencer apologised for scaring her earlier and to the surprise of everyone, kissed Mariam's hand! This had made her blush bright red, hiding under Kai's arm. Kai would understand if his brothers didn't want a woman about for too long, saying her stay was only temporary but Spencer revoked and told Mariam to stay as long as she needed to. Tala was in agreement and Bryan indifferent. This did mean new rules would have to be put in place, especially for a certain red eyed prankster. All that mattered to Ian was that Kai had a few more sensitive spots now.

Mariam learned quickly that Ian enjoyed nothing more than tormenting his brothers. When he wasn't bludgeoning her with questions that is. Tala had told Ian numerous times to shut up and fuck off before he made Spencer really mad. And nobody liked the buff blonde when he was angry. When Mariam asked what the feared older male was doing, Tala told her he hadn't been sleeping well recently and needed to catch up on resting. Hoping it might help ease Spencer's workload, Mariam offered to help do some of the chores seeing as she would be staying rent free for a while. Just when it seemed like nothing could go wrong everything went to the dogs. Ian decided to be a prat and disturbed not only Spencer, but the babies as well. Mariam noticed how pale Tala and Bryan went, Kai sighing beside her.

"Kai what's going on?"

"Mariam, Friday night somebody left a basket on our doorstep. In that basket we found two baby girls. We don't want this getting out to the media."

"I see. And nobody has come looking for them?"

Kai shook his head, hoping Mariam wouldn't ask to see the infants. And she didn't have to. Spencer knew Mariam would've heard all the screaming so he carried the sisters downstairs, passing the copper eyed girl to Tala who reluctantly received her. All attempts to calm the pinkette failed and Spencer was fast running out of ideas. In fact, rocking her only seemed to make matters worse. It got so bad that Mariam went into override and outright snatched the baby girl from Spencer leaving everyone lost for words. Kai studied Mariam as she held the baby close, tenderly rubbing a quivering back while uttering soothing words. A loud burp followed shortly after. She smiled sweetly and looked at Spencer.

"She had trapped wind. Can I hold her for a bit?"

"S-Sure."

As Kai feared Mariam absolutely adored the sisters, dreading the day she would ask him when they'd have their first. Kai wasn't opposed to having children he just didn't like babies. Throughout the evening Mariam taught Spencer what she knew. Having grown up in a close-knit community she was well used to dealing with children. Slowly but surely Spencer felt less awkward where handling and feeding was concerned. Mariam even joked that the little pink haired girl looked perfect in Spencer's arms. Spencer had never thought himself to be father material before. No amount of training for war could override inbuilt parental instinct. Even Bryan was displaying brotherly tendencies towards the girls by keeping Ian away from them. Despite the front Kai and his team put up, Mariam knew that deep down; they were some of the most selfless, caring people she would ever meet.

In the dark of night Spencer sat watching the orphaned babies sleep in their basket. Tomorrow it would be time to part ways. Spencer honestly didn't know if he could let the girls go. He couldn't help but get attached to them. Tala was dead to the world so Spencer didn't dare rouse him to try and talk his redheaded lover into keeping the girls. He'd try in the morning. Hopefully Tala would be understanding of his reluctance to let these poor innocent souls go into the hands of strangers. Not when they seemed so content with the people who had taken them in. For hours Spencer tried to sleep but he suffered nightmares the second his eyes closed.

Spencer's shuffling disturbed Tala's slumber but not to the point where he woke up. Pushing Spencer onto his back, Tala snuggled close to his rugged chest, head resting on a broad shoulder. Being given affection helped to keep the night terrors at bay, even if it was given out of annoyance. Nothing else stirred for the rest of the night, giving the residents of the Blitzkrieg house the peace to sleep. Spencer found himself dreaming of a future where he and Tala adopted the twin sisters and a couple of boys. The girls were several years old and very pretty. Spencer would give anything to make that future a reality.

"Come on Spencer, you can't hide in there all day."

From the moment he'd woken up that morning Spencer refused to let the babies out of his sight. Tala hadn't reacted kindly when consulted about keeping the girls a little longer. Mariam sat in the living room not knowing what to do as she watched Kai, Bryan and Tala standing impatiently by the front door. They muttered amongst themselves in a language she couldn't understand, figuring it must be the native tongue. Then all three of them stormed upstairs and into the room where Spencer was hiding. Mariam's heart ached when she heard the babies screaming, no doubt ripped out of Spencer's arms where they'd felt safe. Kai was the first to return with Bryan hot on his heels carrying the basket. Tala took a moment to say something, probably directed at Spencer, before locking the blonde giant in their room, handing Mariam the key.

"Keep an eye on him for me would you?"

"Um…ok. Tala why are you putting him through this? You know how much Spencer cares for those children."

Tala paused by the front door, as if pondering on what to say in response. Instead he just strode outside and slammed the door shut. Mariam sat down defeated just as Ian came downstairs. He'd wisely kept away from his brothers.

"Mari, what happened?"

"Kai, Bryan and Tala have taken the girls to an orphanage against Spencer's will. I've been asked to keep an eye on him until Tala gets back."

"It's for Spencer's own good Mariam. He gets attached to things too easily, animals especially. The last thing he got attached to was a puppy. Some heartless bastard hit it with a car. Spencer took the puppy to a vet and brought him home. It…the puppy died several days later. While I'm not condoning how my brothers handled the situation I know they did what they felt was best for Spencer and his mental wellbeing. For the babies too."

Mariam might not have known any of the boys for long but she trusted Ian's judgement. They sat in nerve wracking silence for around an hour before Mariam couldn't take it anymore, half storming up the stairs before Ian could advise against her disturbing a possibly very distraught Spencer. He wasn't doing much, just sat curled up on the bed with red eyes. If one had seen Spencer four years ago they wouldn't be able to recognise him now.

Mariam cautiously inched closer to the bed, aware that bloodshot green eyes were fixed on her. She didn't care if Spencer wasn't in the mood for company, sitting beside him slowly. Mariam had barely reached an arm around Spencer's back when he turned into her embrace, his large arms dwarfing her waist.

"Hush now its okay." She soothed, rubbing a calming circle on Spencer's back. "You'll see them again one day I'm sure. You have to be strong now, for the girls. I know it's not easy, especially when you've already given them so much."

Mariam's soothing seemed to be working as Spencer stopped shaking. They sat in calming silence for what felt like hours before Mariam heard the front door swinging open accompanied by foreign cursing. She bravely left Spencer on his own to see what was wrong only to have Kai drag her into his room tightly by the wrist. Spencer on the other hand didn't bother looking when he heard heavy footsteps getting closer. Tala stood in the doorway still wearing a big outdoor coat. He was told bluntly to fuck off. To expect anything less right now was foolish. Tala hurriedly put something next to the bed and vacated the room before the nearest hard object could be lobbed at him.

For some time Spencer had his back turned away from the large basket Tala had left behind…until he heard the babbling of a baby. Looking over his shoulder he saw a note attached to the wicker basket, snatching it harshly to read what had been written.

" _Spencer. The orphanage wouldn't take them due to being full. Kai has had words with his lawyer and they'll get back to us shortly. I'm sorry for how we acted this morning but Bryan, Kai and I didn't want to see you get hurt again. Not after what happened with the puppy last year. I'll make it up to you later, I promise. Love, Tala."_

It was simply too good to be true and for a moment Spencer didn't believe it. Not until two bright faces were beaming up at him from under a pastel yellow blanket. Tala returned without his outdoor clothes, pulled immediately into the strongest hug known to man, Spencer weeping into his shirt. He would've hugged back but a large fist met his left eye.

Ian wasn't sure how to feel when he found out the sisters had returned. At the very least he was glad to see Spencer smiling again. And of course he teased Tala about his pretty black eye. Mariam didn't know if she should laugh or be worried that Tala chased Ian around the house with a sharp knife. It fell on Bryan's shoulders to calm his redheaded brother down before Ian needed a coffin preparing. Kai's lawyer arrived somewhere around 4pm with some documents for Spencer and Tala to fill out. Of course the tall blonde was a little suspicious of the paperwork, making sure he read every detail before signing. His suspicion wasn't without reason and Tala couldn't blame Spencer for being cautious.

The documents Kai's lawyer had presented were adoption forms! It had been decided ages ago that Spencer would take Tala's name when they eventually tied the knot. Looking to the sleeping infants in Mariam's arms Spencer remembered the dream he'd had last night, eagerly jotting down two names that seemed to echo endlessly in the depths of his mind. With the forms signed, Kai's lawyer took them away, telling the couple they'd hear from him soon. Mariam gladly handed the babies back to Spencer, happy to see them back in safe, loving arms.

"So then big daddy." Mariam teased. "What've you called your two precious bundles of joy?"

Spencer would've pinched Mariam's cheek for her sass but his hands were full.

"Little Ms Pinky is Alkanet Ivanov. And her copper eyed sister, Yasha Ivanov."

"Two beautiful names for two very gorgeous girls. I'm sure their uncles will spoil them rotten. Won't you baby?"

Kai paled at the sudden menacing tone to Mariam's voice, making himself scarce very quickly. Bryan had never seen Kai intimidated by anything before. Tala and Spencer were just as shocked. If Kai ran from Mariam she was a force to be reckoned with when angry.

"Bloody hell I can't remember the last time I saw Kai hightail it out of a room that fast. What exactly have you done to make him scared of you Mariam?"

"Honestly Bryan." Mariam huffed. "Any good man knows not to get on the bad side of his woman. Kai's been on mine once or twice for being late to dates. One time wasn't his fault so I let him off."

"So um. Where and how exactly did you two meet?"

"It was, oh I don't know, about five years ago. Back then we were sworn enemies."

Hours soon turned into days after Spencer and Tala adopted the little girls left on their doorstep. Ian had become a doting uncle and often bought odd little things home for his nieces. Bryan was indifferent at best but he held Yasha if given no other choice. Alkanet absolutely hated him for some reason and screamed blue murder if Spencer so much as considered handing her to Bryan for even a minute. Tala became more relaxed about being a dad years before planned. When he wasn't at work, Yasha was babbling away in his lap. And Kai. Well he rarely interacted with Yasha and Alkanet but Mariam could tell he felt for the sisters. He knew their pain of losing one's birth parents.

Mariam had settled well with her could be brothers-in-law and loved the sisters like they were her own offspring. She often helped Spencer to better look after his daughters as they spent a lot of time together in the house. It turned out that Spencer worked from home doing odd things for the BBA. Alkanet and Yasha occupied themselves by playing with various toys if they weren't being coddled by Spencer. Yasha preferred being on her tummy and at first Spencer had worried but Mariam convinced him that by spending time on her stomach, Yasha would learn to crawl. Alkanet was more of a roller and loved tripping her uncle Ian up. Mariam suspected Alkanet would skip the crawling stage and go straight to walking.

Both girls were forming slightly more recognisable sounds as weeks went by. The closer they got to six months of age, the nearer the horror of teething got. Mariam assured the boys it really wasn't that bad as long as the teeth didn't come out in large numbers. If Spencer's past experiences with horrible luck were anything to go by, he knew that nothing was ever that simple or easy.

Ian returned home unexpectedly one afternoon and caught Spencer pinning Tala to the kitchen side, trousers dropped around their ankles. He wisely backed out of the room before his brothers caught him watching. Tala and Spencer returned to baby watching duty none the wiser that they'd been caught red handed for a second time.

Alkanet and Yasha had officially been at the house for a full month. Mariam was also still with the boys and honestly had no desire to leave any time soon. Both tots had begun to get their first teeth and all hell broke loose. Anyone who dared to try putting teething gel onto tormented gums got chomped on. Yasha was also getting the hang of crawling, meaning an eye had to be constantly kept on her so she didn't waddle off and break something, or worse, hurt herself.

Alkanet on the other hand did as Mariam predicted, using the legs of whoever was closest to pull herself up into a standing position. Usually on weekends Kai was the victim and weekdays it was either Spencer or Mariam. The latter two didn't mind. Tala coped decently well having the girls around but couldn't for the life of him stand the smell of their dirty diapers, often standing outside the bedroom at night while Spencer changed them. Kai had caught him standing by the stairs on more than one occasion when on his way to get a glass of water. If the redhead ever tried being sassy Kai now had something to hold over his head. It was a miracle anybody in the house got any sleep with how Alkanet would wail at night. It wasn't uncommon to see Spencer with dark circles under his eyes from staying up with her. Yasha gave everyone grief during the day.

Bryan wouldn't be surprised if a neighbour complained about all the noise, knowing that there were some truly spiteful people in the world. Mariam did what she could to help the little girls during daylight hours so that Spencer could catch up on missed sleep. God only knew the caring giant needed to rest. Despite the current turbulence of teething, the boys seemed closer than ever. Bryan made coffee every morning, Ian risked his sense of smell to change diapers and Kai…he simply made sure everyone was at their best mentally. If his brothers needed peace and quiet all he had to do was give the sisters his famous death glare and they shut right up…for about five minutes then they started screaming again. How anyone coped with even one screaming baby was beyond him. If he wasn't distracted by crying infants, Kai found himself wondering how his old teammates were doing. He hadn't seen any of them for just about three years. Reaching out was currently the last thing on his mind with everything else going on.

Spencer was in the living room alone with the babies in the early afternoon of April 7th pondering if he should risk leaving the girls on their own for a cup of tea. Both of them were out for the count currently and had a knack for waking up at just the right moments. The only other person in the house was Kai who typically hid in his room. In truth he just didn't want the girls getting their chubby hands on his coursework. Tala was also upstairs having a nap. Ian had buggered off to who knows where and Bryan had been tasked with showing Mariam the town.

Just as Spencer stood up a yell of "Hallefuckinglujah!" came from upstairs, Kai's room to be more specific. Out of curiosity the green eyed giant turned on the television. A news report was on currently, telling of how Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov were dead. It wasn't known how or why both criminals had been found shot dead and Spencer found himself in disbelief. One of his biggest fears had been Boris escaping from prison and doing something horrible to Alkanet and Yasha. Kai no doubt feared similar for Mariam but also due to Voltaire. Not twenty minutes later Kai zoomed down the stairs and out the door. A groggy Tala followed soon after, almost hanging off the balcony rail.

"The hell got his balls in a knot?"

"The psychos are dead, Tala. They were found fatally shot this morning."

Tala's eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be true. Surely the media had made a mistake or been paid to make a false report? There was no way Boris and Voltaire would be taken out by a gunshot of all things. Spencer added that both bodies had been found burnt nearly to a crisp. Neither of them would be coming back from that. Bryan came home about half an hour after Kai left, Ian close behind. Spencer immediately told them what he'd seen on the news.

They were of course sceptical at first. But Spencer wouldn't lie to them. If he thought Boris and Voltaire were still alive he wouldn't have said anything. When asked if he'd seen Kai, Bryan mentioned that Mariam had been picked up by said sibling and whisked off somewhere. With Voltaire gone, Kai had likely decided it was time to go public with his relationship.

Some half an hour later the boys were all sat together just hanging out with the television on low when the programme airing was interrupted by a sudden news report, grabbing everyone's undivided attention. It appeared that a camera crew was at a high end restaurant and Spencer could just about see Kai and Mariam inside.

 _ **("We bring you this urgent news report live from one of Moscow's top restaurants. Mere hours after learning of Voltaire Hiwatari's unfortunate demise, Kai Hiwatari appeared with Mariam of the Saint Shields. We're certain that this isn't a casual dinner between the former rivals given how smart they're both dressed.")**_

The camera zoomed in on Kai's table as he got down on one knee and produced a blue satin box from his pocket. No doubt hearts around the world were racing in anticipation. The news crew weren't close enough to get any audio but Spencer was able to read every word from Kai's lips.

"Mariam, will you marry me?"

As expected she went fluorescent red in the face, tears stinging her gorgeous green eyes. After a few moments of nerve shattering silence Mariam nodded, allowing Kai to slip a stunning sapphire/silver engagement ring onto her hand before they kissed. The restaurant erupted in applause and cheering.

 _ **("It is simply unbelievable! We just witnessed an act of absolute disrespect displayed here today. Never before have I seen such blatant insensitivity!")**_

The sound of someone clearing their throat made the reporter jump half a mile, turning around to find Kai had managed to sneak up on the crew. The Blitzkrieg Boys couldn't help but snigger.

 _ **("I'm sorry but I couldn't help but overhear what you said. Why should I be grieving over the death of somebody who made my life a living hell? Voltaire Hiwatari was my grandfather in name only. Fool yourselves all you want imagining him as a doting and supportive grandparent but there are those of us who know how he really was. You call my proposal disrespectful, I call it restoring what little honour my family has left. Now if you'll pardon me, my fiancé is waiting to resume our lunch.")**_

With that said, Kai turned on his heel and returned to Mariam's side. The reporter said nothing further after being dressed down in such a humiliating way. Looking at his brothers, Spencer knew what they were thinking and Ian confirmed his thoughts.

"Woohoo! Stag party baby!"

Kai and Mariam returned to the house shortly after their date, immediately met with congratulations and well wishes. Whatever joy Spencer felt was short lived. He knew that with Voltaire dead and gone, Kai would move out soon so he and Mariam could have their privacy. And it was his right to. Everything Voltaire owned belonged to Kai now. That didn't mean Spencer couldn't be sad about his little brother finally spreading their wings and flying from the nest. Mariam assured her soon to be brother-in-law that Kai would be fine and she'd make sure he kept in touch. Spencer meant no disrespect to Mariam at all, he couldn't help fearing for the boys he'd grown up with and now saw as family. They were all he had left in the world.

Mariam couldn't say she didn't understand Spencer's fears. She constantly worried about Joseph while away from him. Thinking of her brother made Mariam wonder if her tribe had seen the news. Bryan told Mariam that nobody would get in the way of her and Kai's wedding, that he'd see to it that everything went to plan personally. Tala, Ian and Spencer all made similar vows. To protect Kai and those he cared about, they'd go to the ends of the Earth. Having the full support of his patchwork family nearly brought Kai to tears and he promptly vanished upstairs to avoid making a fool of himself in front of everyone. In the best mood he'd been in all year, Spencer busied himself baking in the kitchen and Mariam offered to lend a hand. Tala, Bryan and Ian kept a close eye on the now wide awake babies.

Ian made the mistake of trying to catch a quick nap on the sofa, one of his hands dangling over the arm. Alkanet somehow managed to get over to said location without drawing any attention until the last few moments. Thinking something hilarious was about to happen, Bryan pulled out a mini camcorder. Ian grumbled to his hand being tugged on but he didn't wake up. Alkanet stood shakily on her chubby legs, eyes gleaming with mischief as she popped one of Ian's fingers into her mouth. At first the digit was innocently sucked on before gums bit down hard.

Spencer and Mariam bolted out of the kitchen when they heard Ian shrieking in agony while Tala and Bryan were almost howling hysterically. The cheeky grin on Alkanet's face told Spencer all he needed to know as he strode over and picked the trouble maker up off the floor. Again the television was on quietly in the background as it seemed to send Yasha to sleep easily. Nothing else happened for the next hour until Kai came downstairs. Before he could say anything, his phone started to ring. Despite not recognising the number, Kai answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

 _("And here I thought you wouldn't answer buddy.")_

Kai forced back a groan of irritance. Of course Tyson somehow got a hold of his number.

"What do you want, Tyson? I'm kind of busy right now."

 _("Yeah I'm doing great thanks for asking. You seem to be doing well yourself.")_

"I'm going to guess you saw the news then Tyson?"

 _("Hell yeah we saw it dude! Should've known you'd find a girl eventually. I'm not sure if Max saw it. He's been busy in America just recently.")_

Kai wanted badly to hang up on Tyson, distracted not only by the rattling of pans in the kitchen, but by another news broadcast. He and the others generally didn't pay much attention to the news but today it couldn't stop grabbing their attention.

 _ **("The Chinese authorities have reached out worldwide to try and find the whereabouts of Mariah Wong from the White Tigers team.")**_

A picture of said blader showed up on the screen. It looked to have been taken two years ago judging by the timestamp. Spencer had impeccable timing, coming out of the kitchen with a tray of freshly baked buns in hand as the news presenter continued.

 _ **("Ms. Wong has been missing since April last year. She was last seen in Beijing on what seemed to be a shopping trip. Circumstances that led to her going missing are currently unknown. Anybody who might know where Mariah is now is urged to contact the Beijing police force immediately.")**_

An almighty clatter filled the room, Spencer stood frozen looking at the screen. Nobody could believe their ears. How did they never find out sooner that Mariah was missing?! Mariam came out of the kitchen wondering what all the noise was about, briefly catching sight of the report on screen as it faded. She turned to Kai who looked like he'd seen a ghost.

The room was so quiet you could hear Tyson screaming through Kai's phone trying to elicit a response from the former captain. Kai came back to his sense but the shock still showed on his face and when he spoke.

"Tyson…is Ray there with you right now?"

 _("Yeah_ _he's here. Why what's wrong?")_

"We…just saw the news about Mariah going missing. Why didn't Kenny reach out sooner?"

 _("Oh. I dunno if you should really bring that up. Ray's been in a bad way ever since he got the news from Lee last year. As for Kenny…he's been trying to hunt your number down for years seeing as you kept changing it. Then when we all heard about Mariah, Ray's mental health became our top priority.")_

"Put Ray on for a minute. I want to hear for myself that he's okay."

While he waited, Kai glanced around the room, seeing his brothers all still in a state of shock. Mariam and the dropped tray were missing so she was likely cleaning up to distract herself from going mad. When somebody else could be heard on the other side of the line, Kai returned his attention to the ongoing call.

"Ray?"

 _("Try again.")_

Kai's brow furrowed into a frown. The voice was female and sounded vaguely familiar to him but he couldn't place it to any of the women he knew.

"I'm sorry who is this?"

 _("Wow Kai. Just wow. It's Mathilda.")_

"And you're talking to me because?"

 _("I just wanted to warn you that Ray hasn't exactly been sound in the head this past year. You'll have to be patient with him and for goodness sake don't apologise about you know who. The last thing I need is my boyfriend sinking back into the depths of depression.")_

Kai blinked. Ray and Mathilda were dating? When had that happened? If Ray had seen the news he would no doubt be upset. The last Kai knew, Ray was supposed to go home and get engaged to Mariah. Something must've happened to stop the wedding from going ahead.

Kai felt like he'd be walking on eggshells talking to Ray, the others watching and listening as he tried not to sound concerned. Spencer returned to the kitchen when Mariam signalled for him. They still had stuff to bake after all. With what they'd all learned, things were going to get difficult.

* * *

It wouldn't be a story of mine without some darkness thrown in for good measure. And Ian, you should know better than to drop your guard with two teething babies around.

Ian: Oh shut up! You're not the one who can't get a good night's sleep!

Sucks to be you I guess. More baby milestones to come (I went and looked them up so I don't make a prat of myself like I usually do with these things.) And the next chapter will see a character from the Beyblade Rising manga making an appearance. I don't know much about the manga so I'm only using this one character who I know has a connection to a character we know and love.

Until next time folks, be brave, stay interested, and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

This is probably the shortest chapter for this fic. A massive thank you to everyone who reviewed the other two chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade, only this story and the sisters Alkanet and Yasha.

* * *

Three

Several days passed after Kai proposed to Mariam and the news report about Mariah being missing. Ever since that afternoon Spencer had been wondering about Alkanet and Yasha's real parents. While Alkanet did have the same hair and eye colour to Mariah, Spencer chalked it up to coincidence. There were probably plenty of girls out there with similar features or even boys for that matter. Everyone pulled their weight to help plan the wedding, knowing that patience wasn't one of Kai's virtues. The second youngest Blitzkrieg Boy had attended numerous meetings since Voltaire's death and so far his taking over of the family business was going smoothly.

He'd made a few television appearances, one being to invite all the blading teams he knew to the wedding in a month's time, that all travel expenses would be paid for by him. Kai even put his loathing of Max's home team aside to invite them as well. When confronted about the decision by Bryan, Kai simply stated that nobody should miss out on account of past grievances. There was bad blood between them and the American team sure. But Kai was willing to put that all behind him. Even BEGA was invited!

Near the end of April, all preparations had been made. Well, everything except for the cake. That would be made closer to the time, as would the rest of the food. Kai left anything food related to Spencer, knowing he could trust the gentle giant not to poison anyone. Mariam wanted to help too but as the bride she wasn't allowed anywhere near the food preparation. Tala had surprisingly been put in charge of decorations, Bryan the venue and Ian was stupidly tasked with setting up the music. Bridesmaids and best men would also be sorted out somewhat closer to the actual wedding.

Mariam had insisted on blues and pastel greens for the wedding, allowing for reds and purples too to make Kai feel a bit more at ease, glad his wife to be wasn't an enormous lover of pink. Much to Ian's disappointment Kai didn't want a stag do and Mariam had been equally adamant about not having a hen night. Both of them were being sent on a honeymoon however whether they liked it or not.

The wedding was finally a week away and all the invited teams started flocking to Moscow. Up until after the wedding, the Blitzkrieg Boys would be staying at the mansion. Kai sent somewhere around four to five limos to pick everyone up from the airport, relishing whatever peace and quiet he could get. Alkanet and Yasha were doing better with their teething now and didn't cry as much. Since the boys knew next to nothing about dresses, Mariam had been allowed to help them pick some nice ones for the girls to wear.

A little after midday Kai was just strolling down the marvellous staircase at home having what sounded like a heated debate with someone on the phone in Russian, blind to the large group of people standing in the foyer. The call ended soon after with Kai muttering under his breath, pocketing the phone angrily, still blissfully unaware that his guests had arrived and were staring right at him. Max was the first to move, putting a dark blonde haired green eyed girl on the floor. She was aged about four years old with his big bubbly eyes. Max whispered into the girl's ear and her face lit up, plodding in Kai's direction.

"Unca Kai!"

Said young man didn't bother looking over his shoulder, hastily striding down the hall and around a corner. Being small and young, the little girl couldn't keep up or understand why he'd fled.

"It's okay Charlotte." Max soothed, rubbing the tot's back. "Kai just needs time to get used to you."

Turning to the group, Max saw Tyson beaming at the front. He'd hardly changed at all over the years aside from growing taller.

"Never thought I'd see the day Kai ran from a little girl. Wonder why?"

Kenny came out from the crowd, now standing surprisingly tall for having been the shortest aside from Daichi.

"Well Tyson it's entirely possible Kai just doesn't like young children. For all we know he could just be busy."

Tyson wasn't willing to bet on the latter. Disliking kids was more Kai's style. Butlers showed everyone to a room, keeping noise to a minimum. Disturbing the young master could have its consequences. Once in their rooms, the teams all got a cheeky nap in.

Spencer and co left their rooms without the girls when it was time for supper. They'd been out when the wedding guests had arrived earlier. A few other folks were wandering around waiting for the signal that supper was ready. Max stood happily chatting to Raul, Charlotte at his side when the little girl saw her other foreign uncles, pouncing on them while they weren't aware of her presence. Most unfortunately Spencer was at the front of the group, Tala and Ian at his sides and Bryan bringing up the rear. Charlotte struck Spencer with enough force to knock him and his brothers over. Hearing pained sounds and Russian profanities, Max realised that Charlotte had snuck off.

"Are you guys all right?!"

Plucking Charlotte out of the way, Max helped the Blitzkrieg Boys onto their feet. Thankfully Spencer's weight hadn't hurt his smaller teammates. Max dreaded what reaction awaited him for Charlotte's behaviour, keeping her at his back. A loud crack echoed the hall and it apparently came from Spencer's neck. Sea green clashed with emerald green, filling the air with a tense silence. Max released the breath he'd been holding when Ian approached Charlotte and tickled her belly. This earned him the mother of all wedgies from Tala for being a softy.

Charlotte squealed in delight and hugged Spencer's leg causing Max to fear for her life once more. He'd never admit it aloud, but Max had always feared the taller blonde. His presence simply oozed intimidation. Spencer gave Max the shock of his life by plucking Charlotte up off the floor and held her up so they were nose to nose with each other. She wasn't the least bit terrified.

"This must be the ankle biter Kai told us about?"

Max nervously scratched the back of his head smiling that old cheeky smile.

"Sorry she pounced on you. Charlotte has been so excited to meet all of you ever since I showed her your picture about two years ago."

Bryan stepped forward, his eyes regaining their old steely allure. "Just try to keep it on a leash would you? Not everyone around here loves kids y'know."

Tala thwacked Bryan hard over the head flashing Max an apologetic glance. Charlotte on the other hand looked pretty upset. Just like when Alkanet looked ready to cry, Spencer's fatherly urges came forth. Max thought he was dreaming when Spencer held Charlotte close to his chest, a strong chin resting atop her head.

After supper, Spencer couldn't bear to be apart from his and Tala's daughters any longer nor did he care that the other teams were around. Kai had even made it perfectly clear that his sworn siblings were not to be disturbed at any given time. Spencer and Tala were just sat in one of the mansion's many lounges when several people walked in. Kai's old team to be precise and that included Grandpa Granger.

For the first time ever, Tyson was utterly speechless at the sight of two seemingly heartless men cradling fragile babies. Tyson was so shocked he even left the room, shook his head of such a crazy idea and walked back in but nothing had changed. Spencer was still glaring guardedly at the door and Tala had what could be interpreted as a murderous glint in his eyes. Hilary was the first to say something, her ruby eyes twinkling.

"Oh my gosh they're so cute! There's sly you boys are! Their mothers must be so thrilled!"

Tala counted down the seconds in his head, waiting for Spencer to explode. Grandpa Granger read the threatening air, setting a hand on Hilary's shoulder to calm her.

"I don't think those little ones have a mother, Hilary. In fact I'd go so far as to say they've been adopted by our stubborn dudes here. Give them some space there's a good girl."

Spencer and Tala both visibly calmed; their protective grips relaxing. Hilary inched forwards and the walls went right back up. Alkanet decided now would be a fine time to start screaming, waking Yasha from her peaceful slumber. Just in time, Bryan strode into the room carrying two bottles.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming already. A little patience wouldn't kill you."

The room fell quiet aside from the soft sound of the sisters drinking. The former BladeBreakers simply stood staring at the alien sight before them. Bryan stood close by, his blue eyes giving the group a cold warning stare. They'd rest on Max briefly a few times before a burp drew them back to the infants. Without being told Bryan took the bottles to be cleaned. Grandpa shooed the boys and Hilary out so that they didn't overstay their welcome in the room. The old man lingered at the door and gave the stoic young men the thumbs up.

The last few preparations were made in time for the big day. Mariam insisted on following the time old tradition of the groom not seeing the bride until the wedding so Bryan was tasked with looking after her up until she had to put her dress on. Afterward he'd play chauffeur driving Mariam to the church. Kai paced nervously as Spencer tried to help him get ready, Tala and Ian watching from the side with bemused grins.

It had been decided that Spencer would be Kai's best man out of everyone while Hilary, Mathilda and Julia volunteered to be bridesmaids. Very little about this wedding followed usual standards. Kai flat down refused to wear a black or white suit, instead choosing a red one with a dark blue shirt and green tie the colour of Dranzer's eyes. His silver/royal blue hair was neatly combed, glinting in the light. Spencer assured Kai numerous times that Mariam wasn't going to bail on him. If the bluenette wasn't ready to go down the aisle she would've protested to the arrangements being made so soon. There had been some questions as to who would give her away since Mariam's father opposed to her just dating Kai never mind marrying him. Grandpa Granger stepped up to the podium, his face beaming with unspoken pride.

The church was bursting at the rafters with all the bladers invited for the special occasion. Spencer stood beside Kai at the front wearing a pastel sage green suit in silent support. Behind the vicar an organ began to play and with it, Kai's heart began to race wildly. Spencer flinched when something warm and positively fleshy grasped his hand. Looking down he saw Kai holding on to him for dear life, wondering if the soon to be enterprise lord knew he'd reached out for physical support. All but one pair of eyes gazed up the aisle as the trio of bridesmaids strolled down the soft red carpet donning pastel purple dresses of varying styles. Behind them was Mariam hanging off of Grandpa Granger's arm.

Sensing a presence to the left, Kai allowed himself to look and the sight he saw took his breath away. Mariam's dress was a soft pastel green with delicate blue ribbons that went well with her skin tone. Green eyes were highlighted by pale red eye shadow and lips a plump mahogany. Usually pale cheeks were dusted with a vague scarlet tint. Kai was so taken aback by Mariam's beauty; Spencer had to nudge him out of his daze when it came to the vows.

A large feast followed the wedding and after that, a fancy party. Everyone expected Kai to rebel at the idea of dancing but instead he hit the dance floor with Mariam, taking the first dance of the evening. A few other couples moved to join them while others were content to stand on the sidelines. Mathilda had somehow convinced Ray to get up and enjoy himself while Tyson revealed he was dating Julia. Kenny as expected ended up being with Ming-Ming. Hilary had been a bit shy at first but eventually allowed Johnny to take her hand for a dance. Salima dragged a blushing Rick from his talk with Raul. The younger Fernandez twin boldly took Emily's hand and even kissed her. Without a doubt the media was having a field day!

Spencer knew camera crews would be hovering around so he and Tala sat at a table out of sight, joined by Mr. Dickenson and Grandpa Granger. Max was at the table next to them, bouncing Charlotte on his knee, blissfully unaware of the intent stare of Bryan's eyes on his back. With all the couples that had ousted themselves, Ian wouldn't have been surprised if Spencer and Tala revealed their relationship to the world. But then his brothers were fairly reserved when it came to people they didn't properly know finding out. Bryan had heard several bladers throwing shade at Spencer and Tala, saying that two innocent little girls shouldn't be left with two "mentally disturbed" men. And those people were attending the party with black eyes.

What stuck in Bryan's craw is that the people insinuating his brothers would molest the girls were other guys. If the female population thought similarly they were wisely keeping quiet. Despite what people probably thought, Bryan deemed it a cowardly act to strike a woman unless she attacked him first. He would only hit a woman in self defence. Some hour before the party would end, Spencer had some fun of his own, allowing Bryan and Ian to get drunk to the point where they'd do anything he asked of them, roping in a tipsy Kai to get up and sing Witch Doctor with devices that made them sound like they were on helium. Oh what a sight it was to see.

Come morning a lot of people woke up with pounding headaches. Spencer wasn't one of them, smiling sweetly down at a snoozing Tala. He could've laid there all day just watching Tala sleep but the girls would likely wake for a feed soon. Throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a muscle top Spencer ventured down into the kitchen, finding leftovers from the party last night scattered across the sides. Most surprisingly there was still cake left! Applying the final touches to the wedding cake had been the proudest moment of Spencer's life. He'd even blushed when Tala told Hilary it wasn't made by a professional cake maker when she'd enquired about the marvellous towering structure.

Spencer had gone the extra mile of making wax figurines of Dranzer and Sharkrash to put on the top instead of a bride and groom figurine. Blue waves and red flames danced around the sides of all four tiers, fire and water clashing at the peak. While he waited for the kettle to boil, Spencer helped himself to a small plate of leftover food. Perhaps later he'd speak with Kai about donating what they hadn't used to the homeless. Spencer returned to his and Tala's room in time for Alkanet to wake up. Tala mumbled awake when something non lethal was chucked at him. An evil idea popped into Spencer's mind but he quickly discarded it. Kai would surely kill him if he found a baby in his bed. That idea would be saved for the girls to grow up a bit.

Later that morning Tala and Spencer left their room to find Max lugging a semi conscious Bryan up the hall towards them. Others followed at a slower pace suffering hangovers of varying intensity. Kai might not have looked hung over but Spencer could see in his crimson eyes the lingering effects of too much alcohol. Mariam on the other hand looked like she'd had the best night of her life. Everyone split up after breakfast to do whatever. All the wedding guests would be leaving in a couple of days and Kai would be off on his honeymoon with Mariam. Neither of them knew where they were going adding to the excitement and nervousness.

Spencer bravely left Alkanet in Ian's hands to take boxes full of leftover food to the nearest homeless shelter. He was gone maybe an hour, finding the short bluenette was surprisingly still alive. Alkanet had reportedly been a little darling during Spencer's absence.

It was finally time to send the other teams home. Max surprisingly wanted to stay with the Blitzkrieg Boys a while longer, voicing a desire to teach them more about how to care for the babies. The bigger shock was the boys agreeing to let him stay for two weeks! Max saw his family off at the airport with a watery smile, telling Charlotte to behave herself, that he'd be home soon. Kai said very little to his old team but grudgingly allowed them to hug him. His and Mariam's flight was the first to leave and one by one the other teams were all packed onto planes to go home.

While their stay at Kai's mansion had been a pleasant change of pace, the Blitzkrieg Boys were glad to be back in their six bed house. Instructing Bryan to show Max to a room, Spencer made a start on lunch. Looking at the wall mounted calendar he saw it was Thursday and that meant beef stroganoff and kulich night so he made something simple for dinner, a Kasha salad with purple sprouting broccoli and Russian blinis, minus the cod roe. Everyone gathered around the dinner table just as Spencer applied the finishing touches to the final plate. Max knew Spencer could cook thanks to his talks with Ian but the neatly arranged meal set before him wasn't what he expected to see.

After dinner, Spencer helped Alkanet to practise her walking while Max got to know Yasha by lying on the floor with her. Tala couldn't recall the last time he didn't have a baby in his arms, using the freedom provided by reading a book. Bryan was likely off lifting weights in his room and Ian made a video log of Alkanet's progress, giving Yasha some screen time too if she ever got jealous of her sister hogging all of Ian's attention. Max didn't mind if one or both babies clambered over him. At least if they fell there'd be something relatively soft underneath.

Spencer wasn't really sure why he readily trusted the shorter blonde with the girls. Maybe it was because Max knew what he was doing? He certainly knew how to keep the tots entertained. Tala and Ian also weren't far away so their guest was never truly alone with Alkanet and Yasha at any given time. At the very least, Spencer could prepare supper without worrying.

* * *

And that's chapter three done! Goodness me so many random pairings this time. Hopefully chapter four won't take as long and the focus moves away from Kai. Too many of my stories revolve around him and it's starting to get a bit old.

I'm starting to mix the recent manga with this story and possibly future ones but as I haven't read it (I haven't read any of the manga.) I don't really know how much I can get away with. I have seen art for it, hence why I know about Charlotte. She'll likely be one of the only manga characters coming in. I might add Kai's canon parents in another story in the possible future.

The meals mentioned are ones I found on a website for Russian dishes goodness knows how long ago and I'm likely going to try looking up more for future use.

There's at least one more out of nowhere pairing that has already been hinted at in this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

First off I'd like to apologise for how long this update has taken. My well of motivation to write has been running dry lately and nothing is really helping to bring it back.

ANYWAY, some things I forgot to mention at the end of the last chapter. As I'm sure some of you have noticed, I'm starting to mix features from the mange with the anime versions of characters, hence the colour of Bryan and Spencer's eyes.

Also, I couldn't remember when the first CG Alvin and the chipmunks movie came out and I wanted to include their version of Witch Doctor so I had to improvise a little.

Now without further ado, here's chapter four.

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Four

A couple of days passed and Max was thoroughly enjoying his stay with Spencer and co. He got to see sides to the once manipulated young men nobody ever saw. Ian, while being a mischievous twit enjoyed drawing in his spare time and Max had to admit, the red eyed midget was pretty good at it. Bryan mostly kept to himself but displayed a passion for body building. Tala of course relished whatever silence he could get to read and didn't really mind company when doing so. And Spencer. Where could Max even begin? The scary looking giant obviously loved cooking but also had a bit of a green thumb. Various plants were scattered about the house on tables or in the corners of rooms. On top of that Spencer was a patient teacher where cooking was concerned and cherished every second he spent with the sisters. Max felt privileged to see this side to the Russian team, wondering what Kai was really like. He couldn't imagine the former captain having any hobbies. The Draciel master also wasn't blind to Spencer and Tala's relationship. They tried so hard to hide it the duo made it blaringly obvious!

It was Max's first weekend at the Blitzkrieg Boys house and everyone was taking the day to relax. Well, everyone but Bryan. He'd taken it upon himself to go out and get supplies for the little ones. A vicious snow storm pulled in while Bryan was out. It had taken a lot of convincing to stop Spencer taking the car to fetch his lavender haired brother. Tala assured him Bryan would be smart and find somewhere to wait it out, Ian betting the opposite. Bryan wasn't known for his brains after all. Just before midday their missing brother came tumbling through the door, a sport bag over his shoulder. Alkanet was in a bouncy chair, allowing Spencer to dash forwards and catch Bryan before he could hit the floor, relieving him of a wet coat, scarf and hat. Ian took the bag while Tala hurried into the kitchen. Max followed after Spencer when ordered to, ready to help out if needed. Arriving in the bathroom Bryan was stripped to his shorts, the bath filled with warm water. Bryan's blue eyes were glazed over, almost as if he was drunk, his cheeks marred with a dash of red.

Spencer struggled to keep Bryan standing as the falcon master was feverish and borderline delusional. Max moved closer to help only to have his face scratched by a manic Bryan. Tala burst into the room not long after being called, sitting Max down to clean his wounds. The blue eyed blonde would flinch if the scratches were so much as brushed over. Dabbing gently at the fierce looking gashes, Tala glanced over his shoulder, finding Spencer had gotten Bryan into the bath but was having trouble getting him to lean back.

"How is he Spence?"

"Not good. Bryan's running one hell of a fever. On top of that he's gone bloody mental." Returning his full attention to Bryan Spencer tried again to calm him before he triggered himself into a panic attack. "Bry? Bry look at me! You're safe!"

Blue eyes darted around in a panic, not pausing to look at anything for more than a split second. Tala moved to restrain Bryan's legs once Max's cheek had been sorted out, concern etched onto his face. If Max didn't know any better he'd say Bryan couldn't recognise anyone or anything in his current state, hence why he'd lashed out so violently. Add to that the apparent return of bad memories. With Tala's assistance, Spencer was able to get Bryan lying down in the bath all while continuing to soothe him.

From where he stood at the back of the room, Max could hear frantic mumblings of "Don't let them get me" and various other things that hinted towards a traumatic past. Hauling Bryan out of the bath, Spencer took the time to embrace him until he passed out from exhaustion. Turning around, he flashed Max an apologetic look before hurrying to tuck his brother into bed. Tala had a similar expression on his face. Max knew Bryan hadn't meant to hurt him, chasing after Spencer intent on helping. By the time Max got to Bryan's room, the lilac haired blader was in bed with a cold compress on his forehead to bring the fever down. Downstairs one of the babies could be heard crying. Spencer wasn't aware of Max being in the room until he spoke.

"Go see to the girls, Spencer. I'll watch over Bryan."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Max confirmed with a nod.

Time passed by slowly as Max sat watching Bryan sleep. Spencer came to check on them every hour to deliver drinks or fresh compresses. After supper Max was back beside Bryan, a book in hand. Alkanet and Yasha hardly made any noise which was odd. Max wouldn't be surprised if the girls knew Bryan was unwell with him being absent from the living room. Grumbling distracted Max from his book, gazing down to see Bryan had started to come around. By all accounts he still looked terrible. Max gently restrained the taller male when he tried to sit up.

"Take it easy Bryan." He soothed, relieved that Bryan didn't fight back. "You're at home in bed. You've got a nasty fever from walking out in a snow storm."

Blue eyes depicted understanding of the words spoken, focussing on the white pad upon Max's cheek. "Max? Why are you here?"

"Looking after you, stupid."

Max flinched when shaky fingers grazed over the bandaging on his face, taking hold of Bryan's hand to stop him from wasting precious energy.

"I'm sorry…about your cheek."

Rather than be sarcastic, Max rubbed the back of Bryan's hand, a warm smile on his face. "Don't worry about it. The fever made you delusional and I should've known better than to go near you in that condition. Hush now, get some sleep. I'll be here if you need anything."

For the first time Max saw Bryan smile. A real smile, not like the snide grin he used to give people. Max checked Bryan's temperature to find the fever hadn't broken yet. Despite that, Bryan seemed sound in the head compared to earlier when he'd been a crazed beast. Placing a fresh cold compress on the falcon master's head, Max returned to his seat on the double bed, surprised by Bryan firmly grasping his hand.

"Don't worry Bryan. I'm not going anywhere. I won't let them get you, I promise."

Max assumed Bryan had been referring to the staff at the Abbey during his earlier tirade, realising he didn't really know much about what its victims had gone through. Weary blue eyes were slowly drifting shut but Max could see Bryan was trying to fight against going to sleep.

"Maxie?"

"Yes Bryan? What is it?"

"There's something…I need to tell you."

"It can wait until you're better. Now hush."

"No, it really can't." With what little strength he had, Bryan pulled himself up, forcing Max to support his weight.

The duo sat in a rather awkward looking embrace for what seemed like forever until Max felt something wet on his neck. Ragged breathing told him the position was starting to put strain on Bryan's chest and tried to get the feverish blader lying down properly. At least, that's what Max thought was the cause. Bryan had firm grip on Max's neck as the blonde partially hung over him, reluctant to let go. Max managed to get away, a hand immediately moving to the side of his throat finding a chunk of it was moist.

Bryan reached out again, his body plagued by shivering. There were no other blankets in the room so Max had no choice but to wrap his strong arms around Bryan's seemingly frail frame. Slowly the shivering died down and Bryan finally looked comfortable, his head resting on Max's broad shoulder. Something hairy nudging his jaw made Max flinch, looking down to see Bryan trying again for his attention. He went to say something but the lilac haired male cut him off in the most unexpected way.

Rapid blinking did little to thwart the shocking reality facing Max. Bryan was kissing him! Or at least…trying to. For once in his life, Max didn't really know what to do. While he did like Bryan it was more as a friend than anything else. On top of that, Bryan wasn't himself right now due to the fever. A whine escaped from an aching throat, blue eyes pleading not to be pushed away.

"Don't leave me Maxie. Please don't go. I need you."

Bryan's plea sounded incredibly genuine, his face buried in Max's shirt. He seemed terrified of being left alone.

"I'll stay on one condition, Bry."

"Y-You will?"

Dealing with Bryan in his current state was like being with a wounded child. The puppy dog eyes directed at Max certainly weren't helping.

"I will stay if you promise not do that again. Do we have a deal?"

"D-Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about buster. No more kissing me on the chops."

Bryan nodded sheepishly, seemingly shrinking in size at being scolded. Max released the breath he'd been holding once his former rival had gone to sleep. He couldn't help but find Bryan cute as he slumbered.

Thankfully Bryan's fever broke by the following morning and a day later he was back on his feet, albeit a little weak still. Max had put some distance between him and Bryan after what happened, trying to make sense of the resulting stirrings in his breast. Sure he could chalk it up to the falcon master being out of touch with reality but the kiss had felt sincere. Spencer could tell something was amiss, cornering Max about in the kitchen while Tala and Ian weren't home. Learning that Bryan had kissed the shorter blonde was surprising enough without the fever added on top. Spencer had never know his brother to be the type to openly display affection. He was much like Kai in that respect.

Spencer couldn't deny the possibility of Bryan fancying Max given how he'd constantly stared at Draciel's master during Kai's wedding. For now though the out of character affection was linked to Bryan being feverish. Said young adult could tell Max was avoiding him and in truth it hurt a little. Bryan had no conscious memory of kissing Max yet there was an alien emotion stirring in his breast whenever he looked at the shorter blonde or thought about him for the briefest moment. Max's time at the house was running short so he spent any moment he could get with the sisters. Out of everyone, he'd miss them the most.

That Friday Spencer told the shorter blonde that he was welcome to come back any time but to warn them first and Max couldn't be happier. Having permission to one day return made the thought of leaving more bearable. His last day was made special by Spencer cooking his favourite meal and just hanging out with everyone in the living room, the girls on his lap. In the dark of night, Max's thoughts drifted back to when he had been looking after Bryan. That time spent nursing the falcon master back to health had served to strengthen Max's feelings for him. A part of Max wanted to know where he stood with the taller male while the other wanted to brush what happened under the rug, find a girl and settle down. Little that Max knew, Bryan was also kept awake trying to make sense of what he'd been feeling lately. For the first time in years he was scared of what would happen because he wasn't trained to feel anything other than hate. Bryan knew he was being foolish, that his past wasn't going to come back to bite him but he couldn't help it.

Sunday morning all was quiet. That was until Ian threw a cup of water on Max's face to wake him up. The bluenette midget was long gone before his victim could figure out what had happened. A shriek of surprised pain followed Ian's hasty departure, telling that one of the others had caught and clobbered him. Max made his way to the bathroom, deaf to the sound of the shower running.

Bryan was likewise oblivious to the bathroom door opening as he washed his hair…until he saw a blurred figure behind the curtain. All at once Bryan found himself launched into one of those old horror movies, heart pounding hard in his chest. Max somehow didn't notice the dark silhouette in the shower, leaving the bathroom after washing his hands. Bryan didn't realise he'd been holding his breath until Max had gone.

Spencer was found in the kitchen cooking breakfast, Alkanet and Yasha in their high chairs being fed by Tala. Ian was at the table nursing a lump on his forehead. Max's arrival didn't go unnoticed, greeted by nods and tired grumbles. He still couldn't get over the Blitzkrieg Boys not being morning people until coffee had been administered. Bryan walking in caused Max to instinctively freeze. He relaxed once the lilac haired blader was at the side making drinks.

Breakfast of sour cream pancakes with honey and blueberries soon filled the kitchen with a heavenly aroma. Not a single crumb was left behind. Afterward Max sat painfully waiting to leave, his bags packed by the front door. At 9am Spencer came out of the kitchen, keys in hand. He would've grabbed his coat if Bryan didn't intervene.

"I'll take him, Spence."

Said giant stood blinking; thinking he'd misheard but the look in Bryan's eyes told him he hadn't.

"Are you sure? It's a long trip and patience isn't your strong suit."

"And saying goodbye isn't yours. Now sit your muscular ass down I'll take Max to the airport."

Spencer didn't question the decision again, turning to Max with a worried expression. Rather than shake the shorter blonde's hand, Spencer pulled him into a fierce embrace.

"Keep in touch, you hear? Don't pull a Kai on us." Max hugged back, promising to call often.

Max had never been so tense in his life as he sat in the front passenger seat of Bryan's car. The radio was on low but it did little to ease the tension. After about an hour of travelling, Bryan stopped the car. Looking outside all Max could see was bright, unchanging white. Why had Bryan taken him to the middle of nowhere?

"Get into the back blondie. We need to talk."

Max didn't dare to argue, clambering between the two front seats to sit in the back, Bryan following suit once he was comfortable.

"Calm down short stuff you're not in trouble and I left all my guns at home."

Hearing Bryan wasn't armed did little to soothe Max's fear. But what could they possibly need to discuss that required being in the middle of nowhere? Looking at the normally stoic blader, Max saw he was just as nervous as him. And a nervous Bryan could be a possibly dangerous Bryan.

"Look…" Bryan's voice seemed to waver, as if he wasn't sure how to proceed. "I know why you've been avoiding me. Spencer explained everything last night and he told me I should apologise. It was wrong of me to put you in that position, delirious or not. So…I'm sorry. For everything that happened last week."

Max doubted that was all Bryan had to say but he felt oddly better hearing the apology, cautiously taking Bryan's shaking hand and giving it a supportive squeeze.

"That's not all, is it Bryan? You still have more to say don't you?"

A nod was one of the responses given, the other a nervous kiss on the lips. Words were no longer needed, the kiss heating up as Max gave in to the blossomed feelings inside him, hooking his strong arms around Bryan's neck. One minute Max was leaning closer to Bryan, the next he was on his back.

At 11am Max stepped into the airport, cheeks flushed red. Bryan wasn't far behind, wanting to make sure Max got on the plane safely. Planting a chaste but loving kiss on the shorter blonde, Bryan reluctantly let him go. Once the airplane bound for New York sailed out of sight, Bryan returned to his car and made the long drive home. Saying goodbye had been harder than he first thought, but at least he'd made his feelings known. Spencer knew something was wrong when Bryan went straight upstairs upon returning home but decided against bothering him for now. Luckily Ian was too busy painting a portrait of Yasha and Tala napping on the sofa to notice his brother had come home.

Several weeks passed after Bryan made it clear where Max stood with him. The first few days were torture but establishing a connection over the internet had made things easier. Kai and Mariam returned from their honeymoon a day or two after Max left. They'd apparently been sent to the Lake District in the UK and loved every minute of it. Mariam had bought something for her brothers in law and the girls. Spencer received a book on British recipes to experiment with, Tala some sort of novel, Ian was gifted with new art supplies and pads of different paper types while Bryan got some clothes and a guide for more effective exercising. The girls got new outfits and toys.

Alkanet now had all her top milk teeth while Yasha had her lower molars and upper frontal chompers. Bryan found out the hard way not to walk around barefoot after Alkanet nipped his toes much to the amusement of Spencer and Ian caught it on camera. Yasha had mellowed into an angel in comparison to her devilish sibling. If she wasn't posing for the camera, Yasha would be napping on Tala's lap. Kai paid a surprise visit in the middle of June, offering Tala a job at the enterprise and the opportunity was pounced on.

The Russian branch of the BBA extended a position to Bryan where he'd train the next generation of beybladers in the art of self defence. Needless to say Bryan took the job without hesitation. Now Ian was the only one left to find employment but he honestly didn't know what he wanted to do despite studying media and business at college. There would likely be a job for him at Hiwatari Enterprise; Kai would make sure a position stayed open for the youngest Blitzkrieg Boy.

Spencer assured Ian there was plenty of time to figure out what he wanted to do for a living, that he needn't feel pressured into a job that he wouldn't be happy with. Ian had a seemingly natural talent for taking pictures not just drawing/painting them so becoming a photographer was an option. No matter what the red eyed midget chose, his brothers would be behind him 100% so long as it was legal. Mariam voiced her support too, willing for Ian to succeed in his chosen profession.

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And that's the last random pairing for this story out of my hair. Unlike most of my other stories, I'm trying to keep this one clean of any serious intimacy. It does exist between the pairings, I just won't be writing anything further than kissing (aside from the one instance of Spencer and Tala being caught in the kitchen but I purposefully left out the action, merely hinting at what they were up to.)

Focus will be shifting back to the girls and them torturing the boys and don't worry, Kai will make appearances. This fic just isn't about him for a change. Don't get me wrong, he's still my #1 favourite character but I need a break from him being the MC.

Will try to update again soon but I can't make any promises. Depression is eating at my motivation to do anything at the moment.

Until next time folks, take care and have a nice day/night/evening.


	5. Chapter 5

I am SOOOOOOOOO SORRY it's taken me so long to update! First my motivation to write gets eaten away by depression then I have a bombshell dropped on my head.

It may not matter to some of you, but I feel the need to get this off my chest.

Last Friday I learned that my "undiagnosed learning difficulty" (that I've told very few people about) is actually a form of high functioning autism. It came as a shock and honestly, I don't think I'm over it just yet. My friends and the family I've told have all been supportive during this…turbulent time. If I hadn't gone to see that work psychologist, I probably never would've found out.

Anywho, with that said, here's chapter five. Bit of a filler chapter I guess with a milestone or two thrown in.

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Five

June slowly started coming to a close and life for the Blitzkrieg Boys had never been better. With Bryan and Tala in stable employment the overall mood in the house had lifted. Max upheld his promise to keep in touch, calling every weekend and on occasion phoned on Wednesdays. If all went well he'd visit again before Christmas. Alkanet and Yasha kept Spencer on his toes with how mobile they'd gotten. The girls were so active Mariam had suggested getting them a walker each.

Yasha hated hers, preferring to be on all fours, tripping up anyone foolish enough not to watch the floor. Alkanet on the other hand gave Bryan hell, chasing him through the living room and she'd caught his toes a few times. Spencer simply didn't understand why Alkanet hated Bryan so much. He could only hope she grew out of it in the future.

Kai came back for a visit without Mariam in the second week of July, worried when he couldn't see either of the babies in immediate sight. Spencer came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks, handing a steaming mug to Kai.

"So, how's work?"

Kai grumbled into the gifted drink about having too much paperwork to sign making Spencer laugh. Alkanet's whereabouts became known when she started to chew on Kai's shoe laces the second Ian came jogging down the stairs. As expected Kai was not amused to have his feet chewed on.

"Get off you little rat."

Spencer moved Alkanet from Kai's feet and she happily wandered off. Ian, ever the jester, decided to tease Kai.

"Aw she likes you. Give Allie a break Kai, she doesn't see you that often."

Kai glared at Ian, who was now trying to get his own teethed on shoes from Alkanet who thought they were a teething toy. Not much else happened afterward. Kai stayed for a few hours, long enough to watch Alkanet racing after Bryan in her walker when he came home from work. The second tallest Blitzkrieg Boy didn't come downstairs until he knew for certain that Alkanet was in her bouncy chair taking a nap from terrorizing Kai by attacking his feet with a teething ring that thankfully wasn't frozen, reluctantly taking Yasha so Spencer could put the kettle on.

At 9, almost 10 months of age the girls were becoming a handful. Bryan was hardly ever seen outside of meal times when home. While Alkanet's loathing of Bryan was concerning it was funny to watch a grown man run from a baby. Spencer made something of a mistake buying some pots of baby safe paint to keep the girls entertained. The result, Ian looking like a drunken clown had tried to put their face on because like a moron he fell asleep in the living room when the paints were out.

Alkanet and Yasha were punished by mass tickling when Ian came to and found out what they'd done. He then took both girls to do the same to Bryan who had the day off. Spencer hadn't envied Ian when their brother chased him around the house just as Tala returned from work. Seeing Yasha covered from head to toe in paint told the redhead what had transpired, resisting the urge to howl with laughter when Spencer showed him what the sisters had done to both Ian and Bryan.

As luck would have it, Kai and Mariam dropped by for a visit. Kai rarely laughed at anything but seeing the pictures of Bryan and Ian with badly painted faces almost had him sprawling on the floor cackling hysterically. Mariam warned Spencer he had two budding young artists on his hands and that the walls would be next if they were left unsupervised. Bryan received a call from Max later that evening, teasing him about his makeup. Of course Spencer had sent the photo to Max.

The placid giant got his comeuppance the following morning but Bryan didn't use baby safe paint. He'd found an old pot of Kai's blue face paint lying around in the bathroom. And unfortunately for Spencer, there was no makeup remover at hand so he was forced to walk around with blue marks on his face until Mariam came to rescue him.

The childish antics of her brothers in law never ceased to make Mariam smile. They really were just big kids at heart and she couldn't blame them. After all, the victims of Balkov Abbey never got to be kids while imprisoned there. Fun and laughter didn't exist in those cold cells. The only thing they knew was training and war.

August flew by, making way for September. Kai couldn't say he didn't enjoy his 20th birthday on August 2nd as he was treated to a fine dinner with his brothers. Alkanet and Yasha had helped Ian to make a card for him rather than buying one. Snow began to form thick blankets along the streets, painting the town a blinding white. Alkanet and Yasha would fall into a trance just watching snowflakes falling from the sky, joined by Tala when he wasn't working.

Piercing silences usually worried Spencer but the sight of Tala and their daughters hunkered down in their bedroom gazing out the window always soothed him. The trio were so engrossed watching the snow falling that Ian managed to paint a portrait of them as they sat completely still for hours at a time. Once dry the new painting was hung down in the living room with all the others. Photos and paintings lined the walls, giving the room life. Ian's favourite picture so far was one of Yasha pulling on Kai's hair when he'd been convinced to hold her a couple of months ago. Kai hadn't gone near Yasha for weeks after that.

Spencer tensed one day when Tala confronted him about putting the girls in another room. While Boris and Voltaire were no longer a threat, they had been replaced with naturally occurring dangers. One of Spencer's biggest fears was losing one of both of the girls to SIDS or suffocation from blankets. He somehow managed to convince Tala to wait until the sisters were a year old before putting them in a room of their own. If his calculations were correct, Alkanet and Yasha were born in October the previous year.

Close to the end of September Kai once again stopped by the house. Him arriving in a suit told Spencer he'd just come from work plus Tala had been with him, also dressed for office work. By the time Spencer's redheaded lover came back in more casual clothing, Kai was sat on the sofa sipping at a cup of tea. They were both distracted by the sound of something being chewed on. Looking down to his right, Kai saw Yasha trying and failing to take a chunk out of Dranzer.

"Oh hell no!" He quipped, snatching the blue blade away.

Tears quickly built up in Yasha's eyes, the tot scooped instantly into Tala's arms to calm her. "Kai, she's just a kid."

Steely crimson eyes clashed with scolding lavender, silence hanging heavily in the air. "Says the redhead who can't sleep in his room because of a little smell."

Tala's chest puffed up within seconds, his eyes narrowing dangerously with murderous intent. Kai should know better than anyone that he had a very acute sense of smell. Spencer came out of the kitchen wondering what all the commotion was in time to hear Tala biting back.

"That's not fair! I have a sensitive nose and you know it midget!"

Before Kai could rise to the insult Spencer held him firmly down. Only Ian's return could break the heavy silence and Spencer didn't like the grim look on his face. Had the former sniper been kicked out of college? Or did Ian's fearful look have something to do with Bryan? A thousand possibilities ran through Spencer's mind until Ian finally croaked to life.

"We've got trouble. Somebody, I don't know who, has revealed the girls to the media. I barely got home alive with dozens of reporters hounding me."

Another one of Spencer's concerns was their current situation. He knew his brothers wouldn't do anything to alert the press that two babies were in the house. So it had to be someone either from the wedding a few months back or they were being spied on. Spencer could only assume Bryan was also being harassed by reporters at the BBA or on his route home. The brother in question bolted into the house and locked the door securely behind him.

Heaving a sigh, Kai stood from his seat and approached the door. "I'll get rid of the bloodhounds and find out who leaked your secret. When I do they'll wish they'd never been born."

Spencer had no time to protest as Kai stormed out of the building and barked angrily at the presumed swarm of journalists. When everything fell quiet, Spencer took the risk of looking outside, finding nobody there. All curtains were pulled shut to keep prying eyes out. As expected most of the news channels on TV were buzzing with speculation. Bryan excused himself to answer his phone. Max had seen the news and wanted to know how the guys were holding up. Bryan's blonde boyfriend went on to say he'd be visiting in November and would be bringing Charlotte along at Judy's insistence. Bryan informed Spencer of Max's planned visit, grimacing as he did so.

Two weeks dragged by after the hounds of the media found a scent to follow. Kai hadn't uncovered the snitch yet and that bothered him. He made a few appearances on the news regarding Alkanet and Yasha's existence after days of dodging questions. Spencer got roped in to one with Tala and they had been convinced to bring the girls. The world would find out eventually and Kai advised them to just get it over with. Mr. Dickenson also made a statement saying he supported the Blitzkrieg Boys' decision to adopt the abandoned sisters and made it perfectly clear both infants were in no danger.

That didn't stop the authorities from trying to take Alkanet and Yasha away. It was only thanks to Kai making some very serious threats that child services backed off. Not all of them were horrible people blinded by ignorance. One agent spoke kindly of the Blitzkrieg Boys, that they were taking good care of the girls and all rumours of neglect were just blind conjecture and malicious jealousy.

Now that the world knew about Alkanet and Yasha Spencer was a bit more comfortable taking them outside but only when it couldn't be avoided. Of course there were still negative stories being told by the media that couldn't be silenced fast enough. If it wasn't for the body guards hired by Kai, Spencer likely would've been jumped by mobs, the others too.

Thankfully the media's attention was drawn away eventually by some celebrity or other doing what they did best, allowing Spencer and Tala to make the final preparations for Alkanet and Yasha's surprise birthday party in moderate peace. It wouldn't be a huge party with only family attending. Spencer sent an invite to Mr. Dickenson out of courtesy after the old man had risen to their defence regarding the girls. Said siblings would also need a bed of their own soon and Mariam advised getting one that was similar to a cot so they didn't fall out.

At 12 months Yasha had begun learning to walk, putting everyone in the house on high alert. Spencer was still nervous about the sisters being in a separate room to him at night but knew they had to learn independence at some point and better sooner rather than later. Mariam had her hands full convincing Kai to get something for his nieces when she wasn't assisting Tala and Spencer to plan the party. He gave in eventually, telling her to just go out and get something from both of them.

Tala woke earlier than usual on October 20th, surprised to see Spencer still out for the count. He reached out a hand to stroke Spencer's cheek with care not to rouse him. Slipping into his fluffy white slippers, Tala padded down into the kitchen and put the kettle on. While Tala's cooking lessons had gone well he didn't feel comfortable using the oven just yet without supervision.

Spencer had made a Russian fruit loaf the previous afternoon, half of it sat in the fridge so Tala carved a few slices for his and Spencer's breakfast, finding some Quaker porridge oats in the cupboard to accompany it. Thankfully the microwave didn't make a lot of noise, allowing the still sleepy redhead to carry out his plan. Returning to his room, Tala saw Spencer was still sleeping, creeping inside to set the tray down before going about waking the slumbering giant by kissing him tenderly on the lips. Green eyes fluttered open, meeting the seductive lavender gaze of Tala lying in front of them.

It took a moment for Spencer to realise it was morning, tugging his thinner lover boy closer to return the affection. For Tala to be up first Spencer must've been incredibly tired. Parting for air, Tala pulled his heart melting wolfish grin, a hand on Spencer's chest to stop him going on a kissing spree.

"Good morning kisses. Did you have fun last night? I know I did."

Spencer responded to Tala's teasing by nipping at his milky neck and groped his toosh.

"I'll take that as yes. Now let go so I can give you your breakfast you sexy sailor."

Heat lifted to Spencer's cheeks as he released Tala's waist and moved into a sitting position. Being treated to breakfast in bed was an extremely rare occurrence. It wasn't the fanciest morning meal in the world but Tala's heart was in the right place and that was all that mattered. He even changed and dressed the girls, a peg on his nose to save his delicate scent receptors. By the time he got back with the sisters on his hips, Spencer had cleaned the tray of every last morsel. Putting the tray to one side, Tala snuggled up to his little family, the love he felt for them growing stronger. He vowed to do whatever it took to protect them.

Later in the afternoon those attending the party had gathered at the house. Mr. Dickenson had cancelled all of his appointments just to come and see Alkanet and Yasha again! He even spoiled the sisters rotten. The Blitzkrieg Boys would never admit it aloud, but the BBA chairman was like a grandfather to them, the grandfather they never had, even for Kai whose only living grandparent had been a deranged psychopath.

Just for a laugh, Tala put on a recording of Kai's wedding. Kai, Bryan and Ian went bright red in the face at the end where Spencer had gotten them to sing Witch Doctor sounding like the munchkins from the wizard of Oz. Alkanet persisted for Spencer's attention while Mariam went to fetch the cake. Thinking something might be wrong; Spencer hefted Alkanet onto his lap and supported her back.

"What is it Princess?"

Alkanet seemed to hesitate, staring up into Spencer's eyes. Predicting a milestone might be about to happen, Ian pulled out his camcorder and hit record. Alkanet saw the camera, waving at it, earning her a wave in response from Ian. A painful silence hung in the air until…

"Papa!"

Nobody could believe their ears, Mariam running back into the room. Yasha crawled over, prompting Tala to pluck her from the floor and onto his knee in time for her sister to start babbling again.

"Papa!"

There was no room for doubt; Alkanet had said her first word! It warmed everyone to watch Spencer folding his gigantic arms around the tiny toddler fighting back tears of happiness. Yasha made the moment even more memorable by calling Tala papa though she struggled a little getting the word out. Now not one, but two grown men were blubbering like children and Ian made sure he got it all on film. It warmed Mr. Dickenson the most to see the former child soldiers had transformed into the gentle souls before him.

With no further distractions Mariam brought out the cake. Alkanet and Yasha were ecstatic and couldn't wait to blow out the candles…well they tried. Alkanet had almost everyone laughing when she shouted at the stubborn flames, waving her chunky arms wildly. The girls tried again, this time with help from Spencer. Tala didn't care if Mr.D knew about his and Spencer's relationship, wrapping an arm around the gentle giant's waist and kissed his cheek.

"Happy birthday honeybun."

The next few weeks seemed to drag by after the party. Before returning to Japan, Mr. Dickenson told the boys to call him if they ever needed anything, even if it was just to chat. It still felt strange to the Blitzkrieg Boys, having support from the older generation. Grandpa Granger had given them a similar talk after the wedding.

Kai approached Ian at the beginning of November about opening his own photography studio that his company would fund. It wouldn't be a large studio but big enough to get started. Ian went on a tour of the premises to see it was already equipped with everything he'd need to start his own little business. Ian accepted Kai's offer on the condition that once he was making enough money to keep himself afloat he didn't want anymore funding and Kai understood. But he'd be there to bail Ian out if he landed in hot water. Spencer, Bryan and Tala were pleased to hear their midget of a brother would finally be carving out his future. They weren't the only ones. Mariam was proud to have such a selfless husband who put the wellbeing of others before his own.

Like the loving brothers they were, Spencer and Tala were Ian's first clients. While it was true they already had so many pictures at home, there weren't really any of just the girls with their fathers. Getting Alkanet and Yasha to sit still had been one hell of a job until Ian held up a toy from his position by the camera, grabbing their attention. Mariam did her best to spread the word of Ian's little business as she volunteered at a local homeless shelter, getting her brother-in-law several more customers! Spencer helped out where keeping track of the money earned was concerned.

Midway through November a call came from Max. He'd be getting on a plane with Charlotte on the 22nd some time in the afternoon so they would be arriving late evening Moscow time. Bryan agreed to pick them up from the airport causing suspicion to start circling in Spencer's mind. His brother was hiding something and he'd find out what it was eventually. When told their Uncle Max was coming to visit the girls wouldn't sit still and fought against sleeping the night before his imminent arrival.

November 22nd started like any other day. Alkanet tried to knock Bryan over in her walker and almost succeeded if Ian hadn't intervened. The morning saw Spencer alone at home with the girls until Bryan returned just after midday, a few bags of groceries in hand. Hoping it might help to get him on Alkanet's good side he gave her something soft to snack on. Of course Yasha got a treat too.

The falcon master then snuck in a few hours of sleep in preparation for later, wisely napping up in his room and not on a sofa. Spencer meanwhile prepared the guest room for Max's arrival while the sisters took a power nap. Tala and Ian were home by the time Bryan woke up. They had both gotten something for Charlotte and Spencer busied himself baking something sweet leaving Bryan to wonder if he should buy something for Max's little sister. He left the house early enough to browse around a few shops, eventually settling for some sweet piroshki. No doubt Charlotte would be hungry from the long flight.

Arriving at the airport after dark, Bryan sat down where Max could spot him easily and waited, devouring the piroshki he'd bought for himself, musing that it didn't taste as good as the ones Spencer made. Blue eyes were threatening to close after an hour of waiting in total silence, a squeal of delight shattering the peace.

"Unca Bry!"

Bryan had certainly not expected Charlotte to be wide awake and speeding toward him, leaping onto a pillar beside the bench high out of her reach. Max wasn't far behind, his freckled face beaming. Charlotte gave up trying to reach her lavender haired uncle, retreating to grab Max's trouser leg with a big yawn. With the coast clear, Bryan put his feet back on the ground. The air became heavy as the falcon master couldn't find any words to say, a loud gargling noise granting a welcome distraction. Charlotte was trying not to make any fuss as she held her stomach. Max shook his head, telling Bryan the girl had been stubborn about eating on the flight. Charlotte looked up when a brown paper bag was held out to her, gazing into sharp blue eyes.

"Here kiddo. I anticipated you might be hungry. It's not much but should keep you going until morning."

It made Max happy to see Charlotte's face lighting up as she eagerly took the bag. "Charlie, what do you say?"

Said girl was already busy eating so Max let her off this time.

The drive home was long and silent. Charlotte had promptly fallen asleep with a full stomach about twenty minutes into the journey. By the time they arrived, Spencer and the others were already in bed so Bryan kept all noise to a minimum. He surprised Max by carrying Charlotte up to the spare bedroom and placed her down with unnatural care. Him being eager to bed the buff blonde also came as a mild surprise. While Max had waited months to put his hands all over Bryan he wanted sleep more right now, pushing the taller male away with much struggle.

"Bry, not now." He whispered in a slightly clipped tone. "You can have your fun later. Not while Charlotte's here."

Bryan fought back, reclaiming Max's lips in a fierce kiss. Sucking on his neck earned him a restrained moan from the shorter blonde. Resistance eventually proved futile as Bryan found all of Max's sensitive spots, courting him sweetly. The art of love was still a strange thing to Bryan, remembering how bliss had overwhelmed him the last time he had Max so close.

As the morning began to break Bryan laid in bed gazing blindly at the ceiling. He vividly remembered pinning Max first to a wall, then the mattress, cold lips smothering him to stifle their cries. Looking to his right, Bryan's heart sank upon finding the bed empty. Give it time, he told himself, it wouldn't be empty forever. Yet Max wouldn't be able to stay permanently unless he gained Russian citizenship. On this front Bryan felt torn. On one hand he wanted the caring blonde to be his completely but on the other, couldn't stand to rip Max from the family he already had and loved dearly. Going months without Max's touch had been difficult but if that was what it took to keep his boyfriend content, Bryan would push through it.

Yet he feared the possibility of a woman stealing Max from him. Would Max's parents force him into a normal marriage when they find out? Judy had seen Bryan at his worst and she wouldn't be in the wrong to fear for Max's safety. Normally Bryan didn't care what people thought of him but the idea of being deemed unworthy for Max had him fearful for the first time since childhood.

Bright and early next morning Spencer went about waking everyone except Max and Charlotte. Bryan was also given an extra hour given how late he would've gotten to bed. To Spencer's surprise Charlotte came plodding into the kitchen while he was preparing breakfast. Tala was half awake half asleep at the table, leaving Ian to greet the youngster.

"Hey kid. What are you doing up so early?"

Charlotte was quite understandably nervous of Ian, backing away from him a little. By all accounts she looked tired still. Ian offered Charlotte one of his hands with a friendly smile. She stared at the extended appendage for a good few minutes before grasping it tightly.

"There, there." Ian cooed. "No need to be afraid. We don't bite. Remember Uncle Kai's wedding?"

Charlotte's face brightened straight away at the mentioning of Kai, but then became sad upon recalling that he'd avoided her.

"Well we were there too. You knocked us over the first time we met."

Spencer glanced over his shoulder to see Charlotte getting all bashful, Ian still holding her hand as he tried to earn the tot's trust.

"You must be pretty strong to knock Spencer off his feet. He's very heavy."

Said giant sent Ian a stern glare but it lasted for no more than half a second. Tala's face emerged from behind pale arms as steaming plates of food were set out on the table. Charlotte remembered Spencer better than the others, clinging to his leg when he approached her. Their eyes met, a bond forming from the simple contact. Spencer crouched down and plucked Charlotte off the floor, resting her on his hip.

"Now how about some breakfast then we go kick Max out of bed hm?"

Charlotte certainly liked the sound of that, throwing her arms around Spencer's neck with a squeal of happiness. Sitting Charlotte at the table, Spencer cooked up some more of his "famous" pancakes and drizzled them with a homemade strawberry sauce. He sat down with his own plate and they all ate in companionable silence. By the time Charlotte finished she had sauce all over her face, a content smile stretching from ear to ear. Once their morning meal had settled, Spencer took Charlotte upstairs and into the spare bedroom, Ian following close behind with a camera. On the count of three, Max was catapulted out of bed with a shriek of surprise by Spencer and Charlotte jumping on it.

Max couldn't be mad at his baby sister for long, pulling her into a loving embrace. If Spencer didn't know any better he'd say Max hadn't gotten much sleep after getting to the house. Ian left the trio in peace to try and get Bryan out of bed only to flee from a flying boot. Max wordlessly left the room without any clothes in hand and vanished into Bryan's room, closing the door with a mad grin plastered on his face.

Spencer wasn't sure if he should be suspicious or concerned, pressing an ear to the door to try and eaves drop. All he could hear was muffled whispering and grumbles of protest probably from Bryan. Only Alkanet and Yasha kicking up a fuss could distract him from taking a sneaky peek. With Max gone, Charlotte clung to Spencer's heels, still intimidated by her new surroundings despite how nicely it was decorated. Tala had apparently snuck by while the mischievous duo launched Max out of dream land, leaving his and Spencer's room half dressed in smart black trousers, a button up ice blue shirt in hand along with an orange tie and matching black blazer. He gave the twins and Spencer a hasty kiss to the cheek before jogging down the stairs just as a car horn could be heard honking outside.

Alkanet and Yasha were changed and dressed in a matter of minutes. Ian helped get the sisters downstairs for their breakfast, fastening Yasha into the high chair just as Max walked in with Bryan hunched over beside him, smiling triumphantly. Spencer took a moment to examine Bryan. The falcon master's legs were shaking and he looked a bit pale, more so than usual.

"C'mon Bryan." Max chimed all too sweetly. "I didn't rough you up that much you sissy."

An elbow to Max's gut was Bryan's response before he seemingly limped to the table and warily sat down. Max wasn't far behind, wisely seating himself a few spaces away from his secret lover both to avoid further suspicion and abuse. For now Spencer shrugged his concerns to one side, returning to the oven once Alkanet was buckled into her chair. It wasn't long before Ian had to leave, kissing his nieces and Charlotte on the forehead.

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And there it is. Working on chapter six now.

Just for clarification, Max was taken to Bryan's room for the old hanky panky so little Charlotte was not exposed to anything she shouldn't be.

I've also realised that I don't believe I paired Brooklyn with anyone (I left Ian out on purpose for the time being.) but I'm pretty much out of girls with Mariah missing and I have plans for Queen. As for Monica…I'll find someone to throw her at eventually.

Again, no promises but I'll try not to go so long without updating this time.


	6. Chapter 6

Apologies again for the delayed updates. Getting new ideas written up has become difficult. Was initially going to run this chapter a bit longer but decided to cut it a bit early.

Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter

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Six

With little effort half of the morning went by and Max found himself alone with Spencer and the girls. For an hour or so Max had kept the girls busy while Spencer got some work done on his laptop. Lunch time rolled around and rather than sit around doing nothing, Max helped to set things up in the kitchen. The sisters posed no problems, sitting eagerly in their highchairs waiting for dinner to be ready once Max strapped them in. Charlotte sat quietly at the table, listening to the rattle of pots and pans at the oven behind her.

Max knew his way around the kitchen by now, grabbing the ingredients Spencer needed to rustle up some grub. At first nothing seemed wrong. The girls all behaved themselves while Max set out the table. The dependable blonde did notice Spencer rolling his right shoulder a lot and just being fidgety in general. Max thought nothing of it until the pan almost crashed to the floor. He caught it just in time, moving the cooking apparatus from the heat so its contents didn't burn. Then he got Spencer sitting down, supporting the lumbering giant as he seemed to be in pain.

"Take it easy, Spence." Max soothed, keeping close by as his fellow blonde eased himself into a chair.

With his left hand now free, Spencer moved it to rest on his right bicep while putting on a brave face so the girls didn't worry. It wasn't fooling Max though. He could see through the expertly crafted mask now. Placing a hand to Spencer's arm, he found it was incredibly hot as was the top and middle of the spine area. If Max paid more attention, he would've noticed the heat formed shapes. Spencer resisted against having his shirt removed, almost slamming Max into the ground out of annoyance.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Spencer." Max warned, a stern look on his face.

"I'll be fine." Spencer huffed, trying to focus on keeping his breathing steady. "This happens every once in a while. The pain will pass in a minute."

Max wanted to argue, to say that Spencer needed medical help of some kind but fierce green eyes kept him still and silent. As foretold, Spencer was back at the oven within ten or so minutes as if nothing had happened.

Max spent the rest of the day worrying about what happened at dinner. While Spencer appeared to be perfectly fine on the outside, there was no telling what shape he was in internally. Tala was the first to return home, cornered while changing by a certain concerned blonde. The wolfish redhead had noticed a familiar look on Spencer's face when he'd stepped into the house and now Max stood before him with a worried expression. Despite knowing exactly what was wrong, Tala asked anyway.

"So what happened to put that look on your face?"

"Spencer was acting strange at lunch time. His right bicep and back were burning up pretty badly but he claimed it was nothing. What's going on?"

Heaving a sigh, Tala locked his lavender eyes with Max's worry-filled blue. "How bad was it? Enough for him to stop what he was doing?"

Max nodded, remembering everything clearly. "I got him sitting down at the table it was that bad. Maybe ten minutes later it was like nothing had happened."

Tala's head bobbed to show he'd processed the information given, sitting on the bed to catch his breath.

"There's nothing to worry about, Max. Spencer gets that burning sensation every few months. But I will say it hasn't shown itself for a year or so until today. It's just old wounds from…from that place. Just be patient and don't fuss over him. Spencer hates being babied like that."

"Wait you're not gonna do anything?"

Tala fixed Max with an icy gaze at what the blonde seemed to be thinking. "There's nothing we can do, Max. It's just something Spencer has to live with. I do appreciate you telling me though. If not for that look on Spencer's face I wouldn't have known it happened again. I'll try talking to him tonight. Get him to take it easy on you. You're not used to the turns he takes."

Talking with Tala hadn't helped to ease the weight resting on Max's shoulders as he returned to the living room. Ian had returned during his absence and was getting a cheeky power nap in beside Charlotte. Tala wasn't far behind Max, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist and tenderly kissing his cheek, muttering something in their native language.

Max awoke the following morning to find Charlotte gone. Spencer had approached him before bed and apologised for his behaviour at lunch time. Max still couldn't help but wonder what kind of injury would continue to burn years after healing. Shrugging the nagging questions to one side, Max got ready for the day. Spencer planned to take him and the girls out to the park before it got too cold.

Charlotte was found at the table laughing at Ian who pulled silly faces. That was until Bryan stalked in and bonked him on the head, making Charlotte laugh harder. Max didn't even notice Tala at the table until the redhead coughed. Spencer saw Tala off at the door after breakfast, making sure he looked presentable. The buff giant really was just one big mother hen, Max mused as he watched Tala get scolded not doing his coat up. Bryan and Ian both appeared to have the day off work.

A little after 10am the quartet of men ventured out into the cold, the girls all wrapped up warm. Snow fluttered gently to the ground from looming grey clouds as the small group made their way to a nearby park. Other children were already there playing happily by the time they arrived, adults watching not far away. Max found it odd for the kids to not be at school, that was until Spencer told him these youngsters were from an orphanage, possibly out on a mood boosting trip.

Charlotte was nervous of the other children, huddled close to Max for extra warmth. Bryan stayed with them as Spencer and Ian moved over to the swings. One of the children, a little girl, approached Charlotte with a beaming smile. Max's little sister cowered behind him when the other child spoke in a language she couldn't understand. Luckily Bryan was on hand to translate.

"She wants to know if Charlotte would like to go and play with her and the other children."

Max was grateful to have Bryan close by, turning to Charlotte with a smile. "Well Charlie? It's ok with me if you want to go play."

Charlotte didn't mull it over for too long, hopping from her seat on the bench and following the little girl over to her friends. Bryan took his eyes off of Charlotte briefly to look at his brothers, finding they were having fun with the twins. Seeing them so happy aroused a yearning the falcon master didn't know he had. To have a family of his own one day. But would fate be cruel and rip Max away from him? Bryan could only hope for a bright future to come his way.

A mass of frightened screaming drew Bryan's eyes back towards the middle of the park. Charlotte had been helping the other kids to build a snowman and they'd done a good job for their age. Now the girls all sat in the snow, cowering in the shadow of a bigger, older boy. Max alighted from his seat to run to his baby sister, a grey blur dashing passed him.

Spencer and Ian stopped what they were doing in time to see Bryan dropping the boy with one hell of a roundhouse kick to the face, running over to where Charlotte sat whimpering, Alkanet and Yasha tucked close to their chests.

"Max what happened?!"

Questioned blonde was glowering at the downed teen when Spencer addressed him, slightly surprising the giant with his menacing stare.

"Charlotte says she and the girls were minding their own business building a snowman when that other boy came along, knocking them and their snowman over."

"Is she hurt?"

"No, just scared is all. Damn brat is lucky Bryan got to him first. Otherwise I would've beaten the crap out of him."

Spencer wasn't so sure that Bryan reaching the bully first was a good thing, considering how bad he looked. Bruises covered the boy's face and it looked like several teeth had been knocked out. Spencer knew Bryan loathed bullies of all kinds, but to beat a teenager black and blue was a bit excessive.

Passing Alkanet to Max, Spencer went to calm his brother down before he truly went too far. No doubt the bully wouldn't be picking on smaller children for a while after the beating Bryan gave him. A close eye was kept on all the children for the remainder of the outing. Spencer called it a day after an hour so the girls didn't get sick.

As they were about to leave, one of the orphaned children approached them, a little boy with turquoise hair and big chestnut brown eyes. He extended a flower to Charlotte, his face turned away as if shy. This particular child had kept a watchful eye on Charlotte specifically after the incident earlier. Charlotte looked up at Max, receiving a nod from him, her fingers brushing the boy's hand as she took the flower. Spencer whispered the Russian word for thank you to her and she did her best to repeat it to the boy.

Everyone was glad to be back in the warmth, shedding their heavy coats once in the house. Spencer went straight into the kitchen as it was gone lunch time. Max resisted the urge to laugh at the look on Bryan's face when Yasha was handed to him. He just sat there holding her up by the torso with something akin to terror in his eyes. To save Yasha's armpits, Max positioned her to sit in Bryan's lap, moving one of his arms to support her back.

"There, that way she'll be more comfortable. Seriously Bryan, Yasha isn't going to bite your head off."

Ian couldn't help but snigger at the face Bryan gave Max, one that held mock murderous intent. Before the midget of the family could make a snide remark the house phone went off. It stopped after half a minute and Spencer could be heard talking in the kitchen. For the rest of the day, Spencer and Ian taught Charlotte how to speak Russian. Max joined in too, more out of Charlotte insisting it was fun.

Tala returned home to see Ian on the floor with Charlotte and the twins, reading a book to them. Spencer, Max and Bryan were nowhere to be seen. Unsurprisingly Spencer was found in the kitchen, several cups on the side in front of him.

"There you are you sexy beast."

Tala purred as he wrapped his arms around Spencer's waist, distracting him from the task at hand. Spencer returned the embrace, a tired look in his eyes. Tala noticed the sleepy glint but knew better than to make a fuss of it.

"Rough day Spencer?"

Questioned giant shrugged with a grunt and returned to making the drinks. Tala took that as a yes, moving over to the fridge to grab the milk. Thinking it might help him to feel better; Tala wrapped his arms around Spencer's neck and kissed him. Doing so got the lavender eyed redhead groped and half slammed into the side. Only the opening and closing of the front door spared Tala from being bent over the table.

Bryan strode into the kitchen with Max not far behind, both of them weighed down by bags and heavy coats. Tala wasn't blind to the familiar shine in Bryan's eyes, one that told him the lavender haired male had almost fallen victim to his inner beast. Without a word he took the bags from Max's hands and set about putting everything away. Max was given no chance to protest, shooed out of the room by Bryan. Shrugging, he took off his coat and lifted Charlotte off the floor for a cuddle.

Later, in the dark of night everyone was tucked up in bed. Bryan was the only one struggling to drift off to sleep, plagued by unpleasant memories when he closed his eyes. It was somewhere around midnight when Bryan decided to get out of bed and get a drink of water. Milliseconds after sliding into his slippers and dressing gown, a shrill scream tore through the air.

Without a second to waste Bryan sprinted up the hall and burst into the room occupied by the twins. By Alkanet's bed was a cloaked individual but what caught Bryan's attention was the needle in their hand. With trained efficiency Bryan disarmed the intruder, putting himself between them and Alkanet. Thundering footfalls told of Spencer's coming and the attempted kidnapper alighted out the window. Bryan wasn't letting them get away so easily, vaulting out the window after them while Spencer checked the girls over for any sign of injury.

It was no surprise that all the noise woke Max, Tala and Ian from their slumber, Charlotte too. Spencer explained what he knew of the situation, Alkanet clutched protectively to his chest. Ian chose to go after Bryan but not without putting some clothes on first. Max went with him just in case Bryan needed carrying home and Ian was still too short for his own good. They returned with a dithering Bryan somewhere around half an hour later, no sign of the hooded assailant. Once he'd warmed up a little, Bryan was asked if he'd caught what the intruder looked like; telling his brothers all he saw was traces of pale peachy cream hair and copper bronze eyes. Spencer paled at the possibility of the intruder being Alkanet and Yasha's biological father. He didn't believe in coincidences. Bryan reasoned that it was dark and he could've made a mistake to put Spencer at ease if anything. Yet he couldn't deny the possibility either.

One by one the guys all meandered back to bed, everyone except Spencer. He couldn't bear to leave the girls alone after someone tried to snatch them away, sitting in view of the window, a gun in his lap. If anybody dared to try kidnapping his daughters again, they'd get a very nasty surprise.

The following morning everyone was tense. Spencer looked ready to strangle anyone who went near the sisters. Dark circles under his eyes told that he'd gotten no sleep overnight. Tala and the others discussed in the kitchen whether or not to inform the police about the break in. That was until Kai let himself into the house and hunted them down.

"What are you Tala, deaf?" Kai barked. "I've been sat out there honking for the past twenty minutes. Why the hell aren't you dressed yet? And what in the blazes is Max doing here?"

Nobody was in the mood for Kai's attitude, least of all a certain buff blonde who towered over him. Kai visibly shrunk in Spencer's shadow, eyes wavering. Alkanet and Yasha were set down in their high chairs but Alkanet refused to let go of Spencer's hand. Max took it upon himself to explain what had happened, but not in the kitchen.

"Well blondie, what's going on?"

"First of all, I'm here on a short vacation with Charlotte. She wanted to come and see the girls again and I needed a break from work. As for why Tala isn't ready to go…somebody broke in last night and tried to kidnap Alkanet. We've been debating whether or not to inform the authorities to try and track the bastard down. Bryan's the only one who got a vague look at him."

Having a reason for Tala's ignorance calmed Kai down a little, his anger now directed at the attempted kidnapping situation. Tala emerged from the kitchen, a weary look on his face. Kai watched him trudge tiredly up the stairs, choosing to follow after. Max prayed that Tala wouldn't be in too much trouble for being late, returning to the kitchen. Ian was distracting Alkanet so Spencer could get breakfast sorted. When Tala returned, he was in a loose jumper and sweatpants, Kai not far behind.

The silence was so thick it only broke by Alkanet screaming, waking Yasha who had nodded off in the chair beside her. Try as he might, Ian couldn't get Alkanet to calm down as he cradled her protectively. Max had his hands full gently bouncing Yasha on his knee and Bryan didn't dare get close. Tala tried taking Alkanet from Ian only to be swung at by chubby hands.

Spencer turned from the oven in time to witness a sight he never expected to see. Alkanet had twisted in Ian's hold; reaching out for the uncle she saw so little of, eyes rife with fear. Everyone sat gobsmacked as Kai relieved Ian of the screaming tot. In the safety of his arms, she calmed.

Days passed after Alkanet was almost kidnapped. Kai had distanced himself and outright refused to even touch the girls as if to protect his wounded pride. He'd informed the police of the break-in and the others provided witness statements. They had little hope of the perpetrator being caught within the next few weeks. By Saturday things calmed down. Max and Charlotte's final day with the Blitzkrieg Boys was spent just relaxing at the house. To make it special, Spencer baked a whole lot of sweet treats to go with a fancy supper. Mariam stopped by to see them before they had to leave, relieved to see the sisters safe. Bryan was disheartened to know it would be many months before Max could come back, wondering if he should plan a holiday of his own.

Kai surprised everyone by taking them all to the airport to see Max and Charlotte off on Sunday afternoon. He however waited in the limo which wasn't a surprise. Charlotte hugged her foreign uncles goodbye with tears stinging the corners of her eyes. To the shock of his brothers, Bryan actually lifted Max's baby sister off the floor and held her tight, even kissed her rosy cheek. From the corner of his eye, Bryan saw Ian preparing a snide remark, slamming him into the ground making Charlotte laugh. Max rolled his eyes; taking Charlotte so they could get onto the plane that would take them home. Nobody moved until the aircraft vanished into the distance.

Spencer disappeared immediately into the kitchen once home, leaving Alkanet in Mariam's capable hands as she insisted on staying for a bit. After all, she didn't see her brothers in law very often due to the work they all did. When innocently asked by Ian when she and Kai planned to have their first child, Mariam could only say she hoped to start trying within the next couple of years. Having cousins of somewhat similar age would be good for her child and the girls too since Charlotte wouldn't be able to come see them frequently. Spencer and Tala likely wouldn't be looking to adopt more children for years yet either, their hands full with the twins as it was. Mariam went home early in the evening with plans to have words with Kai.

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With any luck I might have the next chapter up in time for Christmas. Kinda depends on what mood I'm in really.

Until then folks, take care.


	7. Chapter 7

Credit to Julia Fernandez Hiwatari for the idea of this short filler chapter. Hope you all enjoy.

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Seven

On December 4th, Tala decided he'd had enough of seeing Spencer constantly on edge. He approached Mariam about her and Kai possibly looking after the girls for a day so he could try and calm his giant of a lover down. Ian couldn't be trusted to behave accordingly and Bryan had refused to play babysitter. Of course when Mariam went to him about looking after their nieces, Kai was adamant about finding somebody else, cursing Max for leaving when he had. After hours of being nagged he'd relented and gone into hiding.

The next afternoon saw Mariam eagerly waiting for Alkanet and Yasha to be dropped off, Kai less so. Tala arrived a little after midday; the girls nestled in car seats fast asleep. Mariam helped the butlers to get some toys and the bouncy chairs into the sitting room, leaving Kai with Tala. They stood in agonising silence for a time until Alkanet awoke from her slumber, babbling sweetly with arms stretched out. Tala set the girls down at Kai's feet, flexing his arms afterward. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off quite abruptly.

"The only reason I'm accepting to look after these…things is so Spencer learns to calm down."

Tala rolled his lavender eyes, knowing full well Kai was just putting up a front, that deep down he loved the girls as his own even if he refused to outwardly show it at all. Mariam returned smiling sweetly so Kai took that as his cue to walk away, ignoring Alkanet mumbling for him to hold her.

"Don't worry Tala. I'll make sure the girls are alive when you come back."

"Have you told him they're staying the night?"

Mariam shook her head, a mischievous grin pulling at her lips. Of course she hadn't said anything about the sisters staying at the mansion longer than a few hours. Leaving a schedule with his sister-in-law, Tala vacated the building to get Spencer distracted. Once he was gone, Mariam took Alkanet and Yasha into the sitting room, finding no sign of her husband. Setting Alkanet into her walker, Mariam lifted Yasha into a secure embrace. Copper bronze eyes opened sleepily to feel of a warm body against their owner. Yasha snuggling closer to her breast made Mariam smile, giving her a loving squeeze.

After much persuasion, Mariam got Kai outside with her and the twins all wrapped up warm. Eyes shone in delight at the sight of so much snow. The first order of business was to build a snowman. Kai couldn't recall the last time he'd made one so Mariam had to outline the basics for him. While he did all the leg work rolling snow boulders, Mariam picked out what the snowman would wear with help from Alkanet and Yasha from an assortment of hats, scarves and gloves.

A muffled yelp and mass of crunching snow distracted them, spotting a suspiciously Kai-shaped hole in the thick white blanket behind a huge sphere. Looking to the door, Mariam caught sight of Ian holding a camera, wondering when he'd arrived and if Bryan was with him. The girls watched curiously as their aunt waded out to see if their uncle needed help only to have him pull her into the snow making both tots squeal in delight and Mariam shriek in surprise. She returned dithering, her coat blotted with white spots that quickly melted. Soon three differently sized balls had been rolled, a stick thrust down the center of the largest one. Kai huffed and wheezed as he placed the smaller two on top, using a nearby wall to put the head into position, taking a moment to catch his breath afterward.

Alkanet somehow managed to creep up on him and Mariam didn't have the heart to alert her husband he was about to be ambushed. Just as Kai took a step forward Alkanet unleashed a sneak attack, letting out a joyful cry. The wall was apparently very slippery as Kai tried and failed to regain balance, the result being another Kai-shaped crater in an otherwise pristine cloud. He reappeared looking very displeased while the girls were all laughing hysterically.

It took every ounce of his self control not to give Alkanet a good face washing. Let her grow up a bit, he mused. Then give the girl a taste of her own medicine. Dressing the snowman went uninterrupted and soon it had a black bowler hat, mahogany wood pipe, a tartan-style scarf coloured red blue and black with matching padded mitts on sticks that served as arms. Mariam lifted Yasha high so she could give the snowman his carrot nose.

Tired of the cold, Kai went to walk inside, only to have a huge snowball collide with his face causing him to stumble back a few steps. In the doorway stood Bryan in a large grey coat donning the cockiest grin known to man.

"You're getting sloppy midget." Bryan teased. "Hasn't living with us taught you not to drop your guard no matter how safe your surroundings appear?"

That was all it took to make Kai finally snap. Mariam watched worriedly as her now thoroughly seething husband moulded the hardest snowball to ever exist and hurled it at Bryan. Unfortunately the falcon master ducked and the bullet of snow meant for him struck a butler perfectly between the eyes, knocking the poor man out cold. Ian handed his camera to an arriving maid so he could join in on the fun. Mariam kept the girls at a safe distance so they wouldn't get hurt as a snowball fight started right before their eyes. Bryan proved very hard to hit as he ducked down behind various walls he'd made.

Ian found himself cornered by his taller brothers having stupidly set up camp in a corner. With a sigh of defeat, Mariam joined in, pelting Kai on the back of the head, distracting him from barraging Ian to death. Bryan also ceased fire for a brief moment before making what could possibly be the biggest mistake of his entire life; catching Mariam square in the shoulder.

"Bryan, you really shouldn't have done that bro." Ian called from his temporary safe spot.

And he was right. Crimson eyes developed a murderous glaze deadly enough to make Bryan realise just how big an error he'd made, finding himself attacked relentlessly. One snowball narrowly missed the back of his head, connecting with the shed behind him.

"You missed, jackass. Looks like your time with the idiots has had an effect on your acc-" Bryan was silenced mid-sentence by a mini avalanche from the shed roof falling on his head, drowning him nose deep in fresh white snow. The snide grin on Kai's face made Bryan realise that getting him under the shed was the plan all along.

"I'm sorry Bryan; you were saying something about my accuracy being bad?"

Kai's taunt earned him a muffled reply. While Ian went to rescue him, Mariam gained Kai's full attention by pelting him with another snowball, harder this time. He responded by pinning her face up in the snow, intent on giving her a good kissing but Alkanet and Yasha opened fire on him as best they could.

Everyone went inside dripping wet to relax with a warm drink. The girls were on the floor with an assortment of toys to keep them busy while the adults simply sat in comfortable silence. Alkanet watched Bryan closely as he left the room, ignoring the soft toy Ian waved in her face as a means of distraction. Kai was called away by a butler not long afterward, Mariam shaking her head to his huff of annoyance.

Bryan strode back into the room stretching and yawning, deaf to the sound of a rattle being shaken. Moments later he was curled up on the floor, a baby rattle not far away. Ian fell off his seat cackling like a madman, drawing Kai back into sight. Crimson eyes found Bryan grumbling in pain, putting two and two together when he saw the thrown toy. Alkanet sat unimpressed as Kai went into hysterical laughter, lobbing a wooden sphere at her amused uncle. Mariam was at Kai's side in seconds as he crumbled from being struck dead between the legs.

Things calmed down in time for bed. Mariam tucked the girls into their travel cots and kissed them both on the forehead. Kai had certainly not been very happy to hear their nieces were staying the night or that Bryan and Ian refused to take the girls home. Mariam crawled into bed and snuggled up to him lovingly, being mindful not to put her hand too close to his unmentionables. They lay cuddling for what felt like hours and just when it seemed the night would be peaceful, a scream from across the hall rang true.

Rather than send Mariam into possible danger, Kai dragged himself out of bed and grabbed the poker by the fireplace just in case. Entering the girl's room, he saw nothing wrong but Alkanet and Yasha were wailing in fear. Setting his weapon down he approached the cot and peered inside. Gold eyes poured with tears down reddened cheeks. Yasha's were no different. Taking a deep breath, Kai lifted both girls into his arms and sat with them until the sisters drifted back to sleep, whispering a promise that they were safe, that he'd protect them. Mariam watched quietly by the door without him knowing, revelling in the rare sight of proud walls being lowered in a tender moment.

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Daaaw. Kai has a secret soft side when it comes to children. Anyhow, that's this chappie done. Will upload the next a bit closer to Christmas.

Until then folks, stay safe.


	8. Chapter 8

Yay! I got another update ready before Christmas! Kept this chapter short otherwise I'd be rambling on for no reason. It was hard enough finding something to put into it.

In response to Wanderer's Cynefin, the man's identity will be revealed possibly in the next chapter. Hoping to get back to it soon but writer's block is keeping a firm grasp on me. I know how I want to proceed but putting it into words is a struggle.

Anywho, on with the show!

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Eight

Before anyone knew it, Christmas was right around the corner. There had been no trace of the person who tried to snatch Alkanet away and the police gave up trying to find them. Spencer and co toiled through the first half of December preparing for their biggest Christmas yet, buying gifts and stocking up on food. To make it easier for the gentle giant, Kai decided he and Mariam would spend Christmas with the boys this year. About a week before Christmas, a courier arrived at the Blitzkrieg house with parcels from overseas. It surprised the former child soldiers to find other teams had sent gifts over for the girls…well the ones who cared enough. Amongst the suave of possible baby clothes and toys were presents for the guys. Bryan had scoffed jokingly that they were too old to be getting presents, earning him a restrained clout from Spencer.

Deep down, they were actually glad that people had remembered them. The only gifts given at the Abbey were beatings and death. Kai at the very least had enjoyed the pleasant side of the festive season once or twice. But for Spencer, Tala, Bryan and Ian it was a new experience. Up until now all they'd ever done is have a nicer than normal meal and drowned themselves in alcohol. This year would be different. Mr. Dickenson had sent the team something as well.

All day Christmas Eve the Blitzkrieg Boys received calls from the teams who cared enough to pay the ungodly charges. Tala wouldn't have been surprised if Spencer smashed every phone in the building he was that annoyed with answering them every hour of the day. Ian had taken one or two of the calls as had Tala but Bryan actively avoided interacting with the well wishers. Of course there were people the boys were all unsure of how to talk to but they managed.

By the time night fell, Alkanet and Yasha were way too excited to go to sleep. No amount of warm milk and gentle rocking helped to send them off to dream land. With Spencer's patience already worn thin, Tala sent him off to bed while he tried getting their daughters to sleep. Making sure he was truly alone with the girls, Tala settled them down in their beds and sang a soft lullaby quietly.

It was about 8am when Spencer woke up, finding Tala dead to the world beside him, waking the redhead with a loving embrace and kiss to the cheek. To Spencer's surprise, Alkanet and Yasha were both already dressed and sat in their bouncy chairs. The stereo was on low playing an arrangement of Christmas songs, probably prepared by Ian. Said midget was located in the kitchen with Bryan seemingly making breakfast. Neither of them appeared to have heard Spencer walking in so he took the opportunity to scare the pants off his brothers, simply clearing his throat. Ian would have launched into space if not for the ceiling while Bryan flinched much to Spencer's disappointment.

Ian recovered from the initial fright to throw himself into Spencer's arms. Out of all the boys, Ian was still the most childish at festive times and became very cuddly. The look on Bryan's face told Spencer the short bluenette had pounced on him earlier. Spencer was more tolerant of Ian's snuggling, rubbing his back gently. Poor Tala had barely set foot in the kitchen before being sent flying. Seeing their dad being tackled to the ground made Alkanet and Yasha cackle sweetly. Despite Bryan's reluctance he was hugged as well, meekly patting his brothers on the back.

After breakfast Spencer prepared dinner uninterrupted, plucking Alkanet from her chair as he sat down beside Tala. Looking around the room it could hardly be recognised with all the decorations. The tree sat proudly in a corner, laden with crackers, candy canes and an assortment of other treats. Colourful tinsel criss-crossed over and under the branches, lights blinking in an entrancing pattern. At the top of the tree rested a white and gold angel. Overall the boys hadn't done too badly considering this was their first time going all out. Out of everything, the tree had been the hardest part.

A smile pulled at Spencer's lips as he remembered Bryan attempting to strangle Ian with the tinsel for being an annoying little sod. Alkanet had almost pulled the tree down several times so a barrier was placed around it to stop her from trying again. Yasha was entranced by the lights as they flashed in a synchronised pattern.

It was about an hour before lunch time when Kai and Mariam arrived with bags in hand. Spencer returned from the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks to find Bryan standing impossibly still, gaze trailing to the ceiling. There above the front door hung a sprig of mistletoe that hadn't been up last night. And unfortunately for Bryan, it dangled right above him and an equally displeased Kai. No doubt Ian had gone around the house placing mistletoe while everyone slept. Two pairs of eyes delivered the deadliest glares known to man at the sniggering bluenette. Mariam gave Kai an encouraging pat on the shoulder as she slipped by.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop…or a certain little girl plodding over to the front door. Alkanet somehow went unheard, allowing her to cause mischief. Chunky little legs gave way, sending their owner crashing into the back of Bryan's legs, thus pushing him just enough to make his and Kai's lips touch. Bryan falling to the floor in agony didn't come as a surprise. Ian bolted from his seat faster than anybody could blink, Kai hot on his heels. Spencer shook his head in amusement, locating a small step ladder to remove the mistletoe for everyone's sake. With that done he relieved Mariam of the bags she carried and took her coat. Just as she sat down Kai returned with Ian hung over his shoulder, probably unconscious. With everything now calm again, Alkanet and Yasha were given more presents.

It took some nagging but Spencer managed to get a photo of Kai and Mariam with the girls in some of their new clothes. Dinner time soon rolled around so Mariam gave Spencer a hand in the kitchen to get it served up. He'd certainly gone the extra mile this year with a large goose, roasted vegetables, several sauces and numerous deserts including a traditional Christmas pudding and Yule log. Various drinks lined the counter ranging from alcohol to fruit water. Tala and co piled into the kitchen once the plates were all set out. Alkanet and Yasha had their own little bowls so they didn't miss out. As expected there were plenty of leftovers afterward. Rather than make two trips, Spencer carved a slice of every dessert for everyone then took what they wouldn't be using to a homeless shelter and the local orphanage. Both places were thankful for the food. When asked if he could stay a little longer to help feed the children, Spencer agreed without hesitation.

It broke Spencer's heart when he saw the sad faces gathered in a large room. A cold chill circling told him the heating was probably broken. The person in charge confirmed his thoughts as they prepared plates to pass around. When asked if the children had opened their presents yet, Spencer was told that gift giving was done after dinner. An idea hit Spencer's head, asking the owner if they had a Saint Nick suit, receiving a nod of confirmation. The staff all agreed to the plan, a few going off and returning dressed as elves. Eyes widened and the overall mood brightened. When told, all the children sat at the arranged tables, waiting eagerly to receive their food.

While he was handing out meals, Spencer came across the boy who'd given Charlotte the flower just under a month ago. Once every child present had their dinner, Spencer took the time to properly meet the little blue haired boy. He was very shy and didn't appear to be the talkative type. A member of staff informed Spencer the boy was non-verbal. That alone would reduce his chances of being adopted. Lenin was his name. Despite his inability to talk, Lenin was a sweet boy once he got used to Spencer's presence.

Making sure it was fine to do so; Spencer got a picture of him with Lenin to send to Max. He sent it with the caption; "I found Charlotte's boyfriend." No doubt Charlotte would have a hilarious reaction to the caption. Lenin was reluctant to leave Spencer's side, only letting go of his large hand when told he'd be back soon. Ten minutes later the children were all taken to another room occupied by a throne-like chair decorated with red and gold tinsel, an Elf stood on either side wearing bright smiles and colourful clothes. There weren't that many children at the orphanage, no more than thirty and they were all eager to find out what was going on.

The silence was almost too much for them to take as the kids all sat still in two groups, shortest at the front and tallest in the rear. Heavy footsteps set little hearts pounding, a door thrust open, and a booming jolly sounding laugh echoing loudly. "Ho-Ho-Ho! Merry Christmas!" Heads whipped around, eyes lighting up at the sight of Saint Nicholas in the doorway.

Gasps of awe and delight were like music to the staff's ears, all eyes watching the man in red trundling up the aisle, a large sack hung over his broad shoulder. Once seated, one of the elves handed him a list of names to read from. Despite their excitement the kids were all very well behaved, waiting to be called forward to sit on "Santa's" knee. Seeing each face light up as he gave out gifts made Spencer's day, praying to whatever god was out there that the media didn't find out about this. He'd never hear the end of it otherwise.

Soon a young girl in a wheelchair was called forward. She was missing the lower half of both legs and had to be lifted onto Spencer's knee. Bright eyes glistened with glee as their owner was offered to hold "Santa's" hand. Out of all the children, Spencer pitied this one the most, trying to keep his voice steady as he spoke softly to her.

"Now then. What can I get you for Christmas little one?"

The girl twiddled her fingers nervously. Spencer could already guess what this poor child wanted above all else in the world. He didn't pressure her to answer, giving dainty little hands a supportive squeeze.

"Well Santa…" She mumbled. "I know what I have to ask is too much. But what I would really like more than anything is to have a new set of legs so I can play with the other children. If that's too much…I just want a mama and papa who will care for me."

The little girl broke down after speaking her two wishes, grasping almost desperately at a faded red jacket for comfort. Being unable to grant them right away caused guilt to surface in Spencer's heart. Once the girl calmed down, he spoke.

"Well Katja. If you can hold out just a little longer I'll bring you some legs next year and find you parents to call your own. Santa will put his elves to work straight away when he gets home. Until then, is there anything else I can do for you to keep your spirits bright?"

Katja's eyes lit up, her arms looping around Spencer's neck crying tears of joy. Even the staff had been brought to tears! With the help of a warm hug Katja was able to speak again, her voice trembling a little.

"Thank you Santa. But really, if getting me new legs is too much and means the other children go without then I'd rather not have them."

"You have my word, Katja. I'll get you those legs."

"Then…my last wish is for all of us. It's one we share. We would all like to go horse riding just once."

This wish was one Spencer could grant and fairly soon, Katja watching curiously as he pulled out his phone. He could only hope the receiver of the call wasn't too drunk. After about four to five rings there appeared to be an answer.

 _("What do you want Sasquatch?")_

Spencer rolled his eyes. Of course Kai had already gotten hammered. Katja was eased back into her chair to give Spencer's knee a rest.

"Twinkle, that's no way to speak to your boss."

 _("Twinkle? Who the hell d'you think you're talking to?")_

"I don't have time to argue, Twinkle. I need you to arrange an outing to the stables for me to be done tomorrow."

 _("And why would I do that?")_

Spencer was having a hard time keeping his cool, eye twitching in rising annoyance. So not to scare the children he took the call outside. Once the coast was clear, Spencer dropped the charade.

"Look Kai. I'm at the orphanage right now. The kids all want to go horseback riding and you're the only person I know in the area who owns horses. It's just for one day."

A heavy sigh told Spencer that although drunk, Kai had understood every word.

 _("Fine. But you'll owe me buster. I'll even go the extra mile and have the stretch carriage trussed up all fancy to take them there. Now piss off.")_

A click of finality ended the call, allowing Spencer to deliver the good news. As expected the kids were all thrilled and couldn't wait to go. Everyone else pretty much got what they asked for. Looking at his watch, Spencer saw that nearly three hours had gone by. The children understood that Santa had other places to go, happy to hear he'd see them again tomorrow.

With his normal clothes back on, Spencer spent a final ten minutes with the children before he really had to get home before his brothers destroyed the house. He'd speak with Kai about Katja's primary wish once the billionaire was sober. No use doing so when he was up to his eyeballs in vodka. As he drove home, Spencer deeply wished he could house at least two of the children but they had nowhere to put them currently. Maybe in a year or two they could get a bigger house?

Returning home, Spencer found the house surprisingly in one piece on the outside. Inside was a different story entirely. Tala looked to be unconscious on a sofa while Bryan could be heard rampaging after Ian. No surprises there. Mariam gave Spencer a look that said she'd tried and failed to maintain order with Kai also out for the count. Spencer had an idea but it required Bryan and Ian to be present. Said duo came speeding down the stairs, smacking face first into Spencer who stood unamused.

For Ian's sake, Bryan was knocked out and thrown into a seat. While Spencer located a camera, Mariam hauled her drunken husband into the seat beside Bryan and kept a close watch on Ian as he shifted Tala into a sitting position. Spencer returned with not only a camera and tripod, but with some face paint and brushes, an evil grin plastered on his face. Mariam rolled her eyes knowing exactly what was in store for at least two of the unconscious idiots. Spencer roused Tala after he'd decorated Bryan and Kai with vibrant paint, tinsel and a paper crown. Tala didn't understand much of what was said to him, catching the words family and photo. Since not everyone could fit on the sofa, laps would need to be sat on. Ian was sober enough to man the camera so Spencer lifted Tala out of his seat with gentle hands.

Mariam settled Alkanet and Yasha in the arm of their respective papa once they were comfortable, sitting herself on Kai's lap with care not to rouse him. With the timer set, Ian squeezed onto the sofa on Bryan's other side, holding two fingers up behind his head for what he thought was a comedic effect. A click and a flash later the photo was taken. Kai and Bryan showed no signs of waking up soon so Spencer managed to get a picture of both of them with the twins. Ian willingly had one taken of him cradling his nieces while Tala was too drunk to accept or refuse further pictures being snapped.

A butler from Kai's mansion came to collect him and Mariam as night began to fall, his face alight with shock at seeing what had happened to Kai while out. Spencer saw them off at the door, waiting until the black car vanished from sight to close the door quietly. Since it was getting late, Alkanet and Yasha were tucked into bed, both of them quickly drifting into a peaceful slumber. Ian retired early, leaving Spencer, Tala and Bryan to follow at close to midnight.

Early the next morning all was quiet, giving Spencer the peace to patch up the Saint Nick suit from the orphanage. At around 7am he woke the others, not surprised that they all had hangovers. Alkanet and Yasha were both dressed in cute Elf outfits to match the one Spencer bought Tala for Christmas as a joke. Said redhead wasn't too pleased with his clothes for the day, moping in the sitting room after breakfast dressed in bright green, white and red.

Spencer left everyone at Kai's stables to go pick up the children, a butler dressed as an Elf sent with him. The staff were all told what would be happening for the day, brought to tears at hearing they wouldn't have to pay for anything. Excited children piled into the carriage, helping to get Katja inside so her chair could be folded and safely stored. By the time they all arrived, Kai had also been forced into an Elf costume against his will while Ian happily dressed as a toy maker. Bryan flat down refused to look the part but at least wore a pointy hat. Mariam looked pretty a red Elf suit, no doubt gifted to her for a naughtier purpose.

Throughout the day all the kids had fun, Ian snapping pictures to look back on in the future for them and the orphanage. Alkanet and Yasha had a fantastic time having assisted rides with Tala and Spencer. By late afternoon the orphaned children were smiling from ear to ear. One of them even said Spencer was nicer that their old Santa making him go bright red. Another child had the cheek to tell Twinkle he should smile more and luckily left with their life. Spencer made a silent vow to visit the orphanage often after returning the children and staff to the decaying building. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home enjoying a strong drink.

In the dark of night Spencer laid in bed, chest heaving as he watched Tala slumber away beside him, red hair splayed out across the blue pillows. He wondered what the future held for them both near and far. Regardless, the life of misery and pain that they once lived was nothing but a bad memory left to fade away in the darkness. Weary green eyes closed groggily, bidding the world farewell until morning.

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And there you have it folks. I'm not really sure how many more chapters are to follow as I have so much planned. Hopefully the next "plot section" only takes one chapter so it'll probably be quite long.

With that said, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas/Holiday and if I don't see you before hand, a wonder New Year! Now…where's that rum and Irish cream liqueur?


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